Sunshine: A Zuko Love Story
by winnieeo
Summary: Zuko befriends an Earth Kingdom guard while in Ba Sing Se with Uncle. In getting to know her, he finds out she is actually the firebending daughter of Jeong Jeong, The Deserter. Features Azula in parts two and three. Note: I try to keep it somewhat in line with the animated series and comics that are out so far. Cover Image from: 'The Promise'
1. Part 1: Ch 1: Got Him!

**Updated!**

**Went through the first parts and made some changes, particularly to Part 1 plus minor edits and fixes to parts 2 & 3. ****Will be adding some chapters to the end of this story. Hope you like them~!**

**Also, I decided to kill 'The Dark Spirit' for anyone who was reading that.**

**Thanks for reading! :)**

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**PART 1: SUNSHINE**

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_Inspired by Zuko (aka Lee) under disguise in Ba Sing Se as the Blue Spirit in the episode Lake Laogai_

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**Sunny**

"Help!" I hear a scream from what sounds like a few blocks aways. "Help me, he's getting away!"

I run as fast as I can towards the voice.

The alleys here in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se are narrow and confusing. The apartments and shops are all pretty run down and there seems to be more people here than there are homes for them to live in. Growing up in the upper ring, I never spent much time in this part of the city until I was assigned here to work as a guard about six months ago. Since then, I've spent about one third of my day, everyday, patrolling these streets. And, I still can't believe how many people live here in these tiny apartments and how many refugee families are stuck in these sub-par conditions just fighting to get by.

Day-in-and-day-out I see them work hard to make what little living they can. And, with the overcrowding and lack of jobs here, I'm beginning to see regular citizens become criminals. The sad thing is, the more they come the less jobs there are for everyone. And it seems they come by the hundreds everyday.

From the looks of it, the war with the Fire Nation must be intensifying, forcing more and more people out of their homes. And, although I'm glad the Earth King is kind enough to open Ba Sing Se's doors and take them in, he can't just ignore the war forever. Someday he is going to have to stand up against the Fire Nation. I mean, if things really are as bad as they seem to be, Ba Sing Se and the Earth King himself is not going to be safe for very much longer.

Finally, I see a man in the distance waving his arms frantically; pointing in the direction his assailant has fled. Following his cue I run past him and, turning the corner, I see the figure of a man running off towards duck-pigeon alley. Luckily, I have come to know these streets well enough to know that the alley he is running towards only has one exit. I turn left, taking the shortcut to where the alley ends, and cut him off just as he gets there.

As I suspected, it's him - the Blue Spirit.

I draw my swords as he draws his. Dual dao swords, like mine. I can't see his face behind his mask but, judging by his stature and stance, he must be about my age and very well trained. He's been terrorizing these streets for some time now and, based on the reports, he is a very highly skilled swordsman and martial artist. Though, despite all the trouble he's caused, it doesn't seem like he has used his skills to seriously injure anyone. So, I'm guessing he isn't actually as dangerous as they make him out to be.

Perhaps he's just another one of the millions of desperate refugees who long for a life that once was.

Either way, I've got him cornered now and I'm going to take him in. No matter how desperate his situation might be, there's no excuse for him to be robbing others who have worked hard for their money!

He swings at me and I block. I can tell by his blow that he is stronger than me. But I _may_ be faster. Using my speed as an advantage, I quickly push him off and swing myself around him to get behind him. As I move past him, I elbow him in his side to weaken him. He loses his footing. And, although it only for a moment, it is long enough for me to swing and knock one of the swords out of his hands.

We both turn and look at it for a second but he does not reach for it. Instead, he swings at me with the sword he has left and pushes me against the wall.

He's good.

After a couple of seconds, he lets go of his grip and turns to reach for his sword, perhaps to flee. But, as he reaches to retrieve his sword, I charge at him with all my weight and knock him to the ground.

Got him!

**Zuko (as Lee)**

I open my eyes and realize that I'm on the floor. This girl is better than I expected. Her footing is near flawless and she's fast. Faster than I am, which is rare. She must have knocked me down when I reached for my sword. I know I shouldn't have reached for it but I couldn't just leave it behind!

She's got me pinned now.

I look up to get a good look at her face so I know who to avoid next time.

Her helmet had come off when she knocked me down and her hair - dark, silky, and smooth - unraveled to one side. It looks so soft that I want to reach up and touch it but that would probably be really weird so I don't. Instead, I feel myself drawn into her eyes. They are golden-brown and yellow, like the sun; beautiful and fierce yet soft and kind.

Her eyes seem to tell a story. A painful yet redemptive story perhaps, like she's probably been through a lot but has somehow found a way to still be kind enough to care and optimistic enough to hope. They burn with determination driven by what seems like a combination of fear, pain, and hope. I'm surprised I can gather so much about her by simply looking into her eyes but it feels like I'm somehow looking into her soul through the window of her eyes.

Time comes to a stop and I find myself both lost and perhaps found at the same time (if that's even possible) in her golden eyes.

I know I was in middle of something but I can't remember what it was. I can hear my own heart beating now and it seems to be beating louder and louder by the second. Can she see _my_ soul as well? I hope not.

I turn my attention away from my heartbeat and to my mind instead. Perhaps it knows what I was doing. I think it was important. But my mind is no help at all considering it is completely preoccupied by this beautiful Earth Kingdom guard on top of me. What is this fear and pain that I see in her eyes? And what drives her to be so determined? She seems so sure of what she's fighting for, whatever that is.

Is it even possible for someone to be so sure of _anything_? I don't think I've been so sure of anything my entire life. Except maybe the fact that I should be by my father's side and not out here in the slums of this crappy Earth Kingdom city. Though, lately, I'm not sure if I could say that I'm actually sure about that either.

She stares back at me curiously, turning her head to one side.

Her curious face is cute.

Suddenly, I realize she is reaching for my mask. I snap out of it and push her off of me.

Quickly, I grab my swords and flee.

But, after turning the corner, I climb up to the roof of the next house and turn back to make sure she's okay. I hope I didn't hurt her when I pushed her over. I watch as she gets up and pats herself off. She picks up her helmet and heads back the way she came. I follow her until she reaches the wood shop where I found the shopkeeper.

She's fine (as in, not hurt of course).

I turn around to go back to the lousy apartment that Uncle and I now call home but I find myself drawn to her instead.

I can't just leave.

I have to find out more about her. Perhaps her name at least

_Something_.

I watch from the roof as another guard tends to the shopkeeper.

"Sunny!" he calls out to her as she approaches. "Did you catch up to him? I was going to–"

"Do you have my money pouch?" the shopkeeper interrupts.

She takes the pouch out of her pocket and hands it to the shopkeeper.

"I was able to retrieve your pouch, sir," she replies. "But... he got away."

She looks disappointed in herself.

I, on the other hand, am quite impressed! She must have taken the pouch when she elbowed me in the side. Which reminds me - ouch - my side hurts from where she struck me and I kind of have a headache from my head hitting the ground. I've been so engrossed in finding out more about her that I had completely forgotten about the pain!

I should probably head home. Uncle will probably start to get suspicious soon.

Sunny. I think about her on my way back. Her hair, her eyes, her voice... her body pressed up against mine as she prepared to tie me up and throw me into jail.

Okay, so the jail part isn't so great.

But, everything else... I think I may have a hard time sleeping tonight.


	2. Part 1: Ch 2: Jasmine Dragon

_Inspired by Zuko's new outlook as Uncle opens his new shop in Ba Sing Se in the episode - The Guru_

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**Zuko (as Lee)**

"Good evening. Are you still open?" I hear a man's voice ask from the front of the tea house.

"We are about to close. But please, come in," Uncle replies.

I guess we will be serving up a few more cups of tea before the end of the day. I don't mind though since I've never seen Uncle so happy before. Who would have known that a tea shop would be so satisfying for him? And who would have known that _I_ would actually kind of enjoy working here with him? Though, I wouldn't say that I actually _enjoy_ it... just that I am happy for him I guess.

"Nephew, can you help bring some menus from the back?" Uncle calls out to me.

"Oh, we can come back tomorrow. We would not want to disturb you after hours," the man politely responds. "My daughter has been wanting to try your tea for some time now. She's heard it is the best in town. I've been meaning to come earlier but time has not allowed..." his voice trails off as they turn to leave.

I take the menus back out from where I had just neatly placed them for the night and walk towards the front tea room.

"Please, don't be polite. Come in and have a seat," Uncle insists. "I was just going to start a game of Pai Sho."

"Oh, you play Pai Sho?!" the girl asks somewhat over-excitedly. This, of course, makes Uncle very happy. And I'm a bit relieved to be honest since this means I don't have to be the one losing to him tonight.

Though, her voice... it sounds familiar.

"I do. Would you like to play?" Uncle signals for her to have a seat. "If you don't mind, of course," he adds, towards her father.

"Of course not. She has much interest in the game but I never was too good at it to teach her. I'm glad someone can help out," he replies as they sit down at the table.

I bring the menus over to the Pai Sho table but, when I see her face, I freeze.

It's her - that Earth Kingdom guard from the other day. But she's not in her uniform this time. Instead, she's wearing an elegant green dress with her hair pulled back in a neat pony tail. She is more beautiful than I remember, which I didn't think would be possible since I remember her to be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. But, apparently it is.

I feel my heart begin to race as I think about the potential consequences of her recognizing me. What if she arrests me on the spot?! Or worse, what if she tells her father, who I can now clearly see is a high ranking General in the Earth Kingdom Army (which explains why she is so well trained I guess), and he throws me right into some hellish Earth Kingdom brainwashing prison?!

What do I do? What do I-

"Nephew!" Uncle's voice breaks through my worried thoughts. "This is my nephew, Lee, and I am the tea maker, Mushi," he introduces us to our guests.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. I am General How and this is my daughter, Sunny."

"Hi..." I manage to say. Ugh, I should say more... but what do I say to the most beautiful woman in the world?! I feel stupid...

She smiles and acknowledges me politely.

I feel my heart (or whatever) melt when she smiles at me. Her smile is so pretty that I stare at her, probably pretty awkwardly. But I don't care. All that matters is that she didn't recognize me.

Oh wait, I was wearing a mask.

Right...

They order some tea - Lychee Green for her and Dragonwell for the General. Uncle seems really happy to have found someone as interested in learning Pai Sho as he is in teaching it. They stay for a while but I don't get a chance to talk to her. Instead, I creepily watch her from afar, pretending to continue closing up the shop.

She probably thinks I'm _super weird_.

After a game or two, her father insists that they head home. Seeing the disappointment in her face, Uncle suggests that she comes back tomorrow around the same time. She looks to the General for his approval. She has an anxious look on her face, like she is hoping to God that he would agree.

She must _really_ like Pai Sho.

I cross my fingers (though not literally) that he'd say yes.

And he does.

He agrees to let her come back and learn but only if Uncle would accept her help around the tea house in exchange. Apparently, she has about two weeks off before she starts her training for her first deployment outside of Ba Sing Se.


	3. Part 1: Ch 3: Tea Shop Workers

**Sunny**

I arrive early at the Jasmine Dragon to see if Mushi needs help with any preparations before the shop opens. I knock on the door and it is answered by none other than Mushi himself (he's so awesome!).

"Good morning, sir," I greet him respectfully.

"Good morning. You're early! Please, come in. My nephew is in the garden doing some morning meditation." He welcomes me in and points to the garden in the back. "And, please, call me Uncle."

"Okay, Uncle," I reply and then walk to the garden where Lee is meditating. I'm glad I get a chance to meditate since I was in such a rush to get out of the house this morning that I didn't have time to do my morning meditation.

I sit near Lee but far enough as to not disturb his meditation. I try to clear my mind but I can't help but stare at him. The scar on his face must have hurt. I wonder how he got it? Though, it's best not to ask I guess. From my impression of him yesterday, he seems a bit reserved. Shy, perhaps. According to the papers, Mushi and his nephew (or son, whichever it is) are refugees. But it didn't say where they were from. I wonder what happened to the rest of their family? His parents and siblings perhaps?

Quickly, I look away as I see him open his eyes and look up at me. He must have felt me staring. I know I shouldn't stare but he just seems so... interesting. So _mysterious_.

"Good morning," he says cheerfully.

"Oh, hi," I reply. "Sorry to disturb your meditation." I hope he didn't catch me staring.

"That's okay. It's time for breakfast anyways. Don't you smell that?" Suddenly becoming aware of the smell of sweet buns in the air, my stomach begins to growl. "We should head in," he says and then gets up and walks inside.

I follow him in.

Meditation - fail.

Perhaps I'll do better tomorrow.

**Zuko (as Lee)**

Uncle's sweet buns are pretty good and it seems things have turned out pretty well for us here in Ba Sing Se. Perhaps he's right. Perhaps this _is_ a new start for the both of us. I never thought that I would actually somewhat like this food or that I would actually somewhat like it here in this city. But, with the new tea shop and with Sunny here, I can't seem to think about being anywhere else but here, with her. I know we don't really know each other or anything but being around her makes me really... happy?

I think she might have been staring at me in the garden today. Though, she was probably staring at my scar. I guess I'm beginning to come to terms with it being a part of who I am but I just wish it wasn't so visible.

After breakfast, she helps me manage orders for the day. Uncle let her choose between greeting customers as a hostess in the front of the house or helping me with the orders. And, apparently, she would rather 'help out with the interesting stuff rather than play nice with the customers out front.' I don't mind of course since I sort of like her company. Plus, it's nice to have some help and she picks up the tasks easily.

We work side-by-side all day but rarely speak about anything other than the orders themselves. I mean, the tea house is so busy that it's hard to find time to have any real conversations with _anyone_ during the day. Sometimes, however, I find myself watching her as she works. She seems so happy, so dedicated to each and every task assigned to her. I don't know how she does it but she seems to have convinced herself that any and all tasks are enjoyable.

I bet her real job as a swordsman in the army is ten (if not a hundred) times more fun. I wonder why she decided to be a swordsman anyway? Perhaps her father trained her at a young age or something.

I think back about the night when she almost caught me and threw me into jail. What was that fear and pain that I so clearly remember seeing in her eyes? It doesn't show at all in her movements or in her voice. Perhaps it's buried somewhere deep inside. Or perhaps I was mistaken.

No, I'm sure I saw it.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get close enough to her again to look into her eyes. Though, I guess that would be pretty weird.

But, I wonder...

Perhaps someday she'll tell me.

The day passes and I've come up with a million or two questions to ask her. I hoped that we would get a chance to actually talk but as soon as the last customer leaves, she and Uncle begin playing Pai Sho. And, after a few rounds, she thanks Uncle and states that she should head home for dinner since her parents are probably waiting for her.

My heart sinks.

As much as I logically know that she has to go home at some point, I don't want her to go. I know it's creepy but I sort of want her to stick around forever.

Never mind, that's totally creepy.

"Nephew, why don't you walk Sunny home and pick up some of that roasted duck-pig that I like on your way back?" Uncle volunteers me to go with her.

"Sure!" I agree, trying to hide the excitement in my voice (though I'm pretty sure Uncle can tell). Maybe she'd think I just really like duck-pig or something. I don't know how Uncle eats that stuff.

I help her gather her things from the back room and walk her out the door.

Alone, at last.

"So... how do you like the tea shop?" I have so many questions for her that I'm not sure where to start.

"It's fun. Your uncle seems like a really great guy and the Jasmine Dragon really _does_ have the best tea in town!" She's so cute that I feel the blood rush to my face as I admire her. I want to reach over and hold her hand or put my arm around her or something but I refrain.

I'm glad she had a good time today.

She pauses for a moment and looks up at me. She hesitates but then asks, "So, I hear you guys are refugees?"

"Yeah, we came here recently..." I reply. I wish I could tell her more but what would I say? That I'm the Fire Lord's son who he banished and sent on an impossible mission to capture the Avatar!? Clearly, I can't tell her _that_. She'd probably think I'm crazy. Or, worse, maybe she'd believe me and then decide to hate me and report me to her father.

"It must have been hard," she says sympathetically. She doesn't pry any more though I can tell she's interested.

I'm not sure how to respond. It _has _been hard. But Uncle and I are happy now... or at least Uncle is happy and I think I am happy that he's happy. He's been like a father to me ever since my father...

I know I'm lucky to have Uncle but there's still a part of me that wishes my real father would just _accept me_. And, with that thought, a feeling comes over me that I have become so familiar with over the past few years. It's faint unlike before but I feel a longing to go home and to be accepted by my father; for my honor to be restored; and for me to be re-instated as the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation.

I look over at Sunny who seems to be lost in her own thoughts as well.

"Yeah," is all I manage to say.

We continue to walk in silence for a while. All the questions that I had for her seem to have vanished. I wish I could tell her everything that I'm feeling, that I could confide in her about my confusion and about the conflicting desires of my heart. But I know I can't. She wouldn't understand. And, even if she did, there's nothing she could do to help me.

Ugh, I hate myself for being so confusing!

And I seriously need to stop wasting this precious time with her thinking about my internal turmoil that I can think about at any time.

"So, you're being deployed soon?" I ask to break the silence.

"Yup," she replies cheerfully, looking up at me as she responds. Her eyes are as pretty as the first night I looked into them; warm like the sunshine. Instinctively, I smile back at her.

**Sunny**

He's so cute when he smiles that I wish he would smile more often.

I can tell by the softness of his face that he is kind and gentle inside. But something in his eyes burns with passion and perhaps... rage? Again, I find myself wondering where he's from, how he got his scar, and what his story _really_ is?

There's something about him that looks and feels so... familiar.

"I'm not sure where we will be going yet," I continue. "But I hope it will be..." I'm not sure how to finish my sentence because talk of the war is forbidden in Ba Sing Se. "I mean, I'm sure it will be _meaningful_."

"Right," he replies. I can tell by his voice that he knows what I'm referring to. I mean, how could he not? He has been out _there_.

We arrive at my home and I thank him for walking me before I go into the gate.

Maybe tomorrow I'll muster up the courage to ask him more about his travels, his home, his scar...


	4. Part 1: Ch 4: The Dragon Festival

**Sunny**

I've been working at the Jasmine Dragon for a little over a week now and Mushi has been teaching me to play Pai Sho. It's been really fun and I even beat him once! Though... I'm pretty sure he let me win.

His nephew Lee and I continued to work side-by-side during the day and he's been nice enough to walk me home every night. I've had a chance to get to know him a bit and apparently he is kind and playful and not nearly as shy and reserved as I had initially thought. He even took me to my favorite noodle place for dinner last night and then suggested that we go down to the river and feed the turtle ducks our leftovers. It was really funny to watch them eat noodles (though I'm not sure if they are particularly good for the turtle-ducks...).

I guess he just needed some time to open up. But despite all the time we spend together he hasn't said a single thing that even remotely hints at where he's from. I guess I sort of understand though considering it's not like I've told him where I'm from and stuff like that either. Perhaps what happened to him is as bad as what happened to me (if not worse).

"We're closing the shop early today for the annual Dragon Festival," Uncle announces around three in the afternoon.

"I love the Dragon Festival!" I'm so excited that I can hardly contain myself.

"What's that?" Lee asks.

"It's only the most exciting festival in Ba Sing Se! Each year, there is a street fair here in the upper ring. There's a night market with all sorts of food, dragon dancers, red lanterns, games, and tons of vendors all in the square just a few blocks over."

"You two should go," Uncle insists. "Have fun and bring me back something delicious to eat." He pushes us out and closes the doors behind us. I guess we don't have a choice. Not that I would choose otherwise anyways. The Dragon Festival is my favorite event of the year!

We walk towards the crowded streets of the festival and, as we approach, I stop at a vendor selling fluffy stuffed dragons to take a look.

**Zuko (as Lee)**

She picks up a red dragon and a blue one and hugs them in her arms. She looks so happy holding them that I want to purchase them for her. It's interesting how something as trivial as a dragon festival could make her so happy. It's not like there are any dragons left in this world anyways. Though, she's so happy it's as if she doesn't know that they were all killed for sport by my people.

I wonder how she'd react if she knew that Uncle was the one who killed the last dragon in the world? I sort of want to tell her the truth but she's so pretty when she's happy that I don't want to spoil it. Though, come to think of it, she's pretty when she's drinking tea, when she's playing Pai Sho, when she's deep in thought... I can't really think of a time when she's _not_ really pretty.

Anyways, she's particularly pretty when she's happy.

"You want one?" I offer.

"Oh no, I'm just looking," she replies and then promptly puts them down. "I like dragons..." she adds before turning her attention towards the fair. With her back turned, I quickly purchase the two dragons and hide them in my coat. I'm sure these will make her smile. And it sort of makes me happy when she smiles.

_Happy,_ I think to myself. Happy is not a word that's been in my vocabulary at all for the past three years, since my banishment. Though, come to think of it, happy isn't a word that's been in my vocabulary much my entire life.

"Your girlfriend will be very happy," the merchant insists.

"I hope so." I hope that someday she would be my girlfriend and that I could make her happy too.

"Come on, Lee, let's get closer," she says, looking back at me. She points at the performers and signals for me to move along. From a distance, they look like firebenders. We walk towards them to get a closer look.

It starts to get crowded so, instinctively, I reach down and take her hand.

To my surprise, she doesn't pull hers away.

**Sunny**

He takes my hand as we walk towards the flame throwers. It feels so natural to hold his hand that I don't let go. Plus, I guess it makes sense to hold hands since I wouldn't want to lose him in the crowd. It would be near impossible to find him again if I did.

We watch the performance for a while and then go and grab something to eat, making sure to order something to-go for Uncle. They have some not too great, but not too shabby, 'authentic' Fire Nation food at the festival. Lee seems to tolerate but not particularly like it. I wonder if there's anything he _does_ particularly like, besides roasted duck-pig and his Uncle of course, both of which he seems to really love.

The night grows dark and fireworks light up the sky above us. Blue, red, orange, and green dragons fly over our heads. I look up to admire them when I feel Lee let go of my hand and hug me instead. It's a bit strange at first but I'm glad he does because I'm so distracted by the dragons that I'm pretty sure I would forget that he's here if he wasn't hugging me.

They are magnificent (though not as beautiful as the real thing of course).

After a while, I smile and look at Lee, who was still holding me. I wonder if he's having a good time? He smiles back at me as if answering my question though he doesn't seem all too interested in the dragon fireworks.

We stay a while longer and play a few games before he walks me home. When we get to my gate, I notice that we're still holding hands. Consciously, I tell myself to let go of his hand but I it feels so natural that I don't. Instead, I linger for a moment, indulging in the feeling of his warm hand against mine. I look up at him and smile.

He smiles back.

The moment feels so magical (that or I'm still on my dragon high from the excitement of the festival) that I don't want it to end. I shake the feeling and force myself to let go of his hand.

"Goodnight, Lee. Thanks for coming to the festival with me."

He stares at me with a sort of silly smirk on his face but doesn't reply. What is he smirking about? He pulls out a bag from his coat and hands it to me. I open it and inside are the two dragons from the first vendor we saw.

They are so cute and cuddly!

"When did you get these?" I don't remember seeing him buy them.

"When you were distracted by those wanna-be firebenders," he replies.

I laugh. 'Wanna-be firebenders' is right. Though, even though I know they aren't real firebenders, I think they are kind of cool. Anyways, that's not the point. It's really thoughtful of him to buy these for me. He's so sweet I want to kiss him but I refrain.

"Thank you! I will take good care of them," I promise as I hug the dragons. "I'll name them Ran and Shaw."

"Those are fitting names I guess."

"Actually," I say, looking at him and then back down at the dragons in my arms. "You should keep one as your guardian and I'll keep the other as mine." I hand him the red dragon, Shaw. He looks down at it as if not sure what to do with the stuffed animal but then accepts.

"Okay. Goodnight Sunshine," he says, seemingly satisfied about our guardian dragons (I suppose).

I linger and watch for a while as he walks away, red dragon in hand.


	5. Part 1: Ch 5: Firebenders

**Zuko (as Lee)**

I show up at Sunny's house after breakfast and knock on the door. It's been about two weeks since she started working at the Jasmine Dragon and she's invited me to accompany her on a short trip to the countryside before she begins her training. Apparently, she goes on these trips herself every month. According to her, it gives her time to 'think and reflect on life and to be free from the societal constraints of living in Ba Sing Se.' I think there might be more to it though I have no idea what it is.

Perhaps I'll find out on our trip.

Her housekeeper answers the door and lets me in.

"I'm off to a meeting with the Council of Five, dear. Be back as soon as I can," I hear the General say to his wife from inside the house. _The Council of Five_, I think to myself. He must be one of the Earth King's closest advisers, which explains why he seems to not have much time for Sunny.

"Good morning, son," General How greets me on his way out. "I'm glad to hear you are going with Sunny. I always worry about her out in the countryside by herself. And, although I know she is able to protect herself, it's comforting to know that she won't be alone this time."

"Good morning, General," I reply respectfully. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Well, I hope you two have a good time." He rests his hand on my shoulder for a moment as if to signify his approval or something and then earthbends the front gate open before closing it behind him.

Who would have thought that I, the Fire Lord's son, would fall for an earthbender's daughter? Though, she doesn't seem to be an earthbender herself. I guess she's not a bender. I wonder how it feels not to be able to bend?

"Ready to go?" Sunny asks as she comes out of the house into the courtyard where I'm standing. She looks so excited and cheerful that I suppose it can't be _that_ bad to not be able to bend.

"Yes, I'm all packed."

"Dual dao swords, huh?" she observes as she saddles her dog-horse.

"Oh, yeah..." I reply. "I figured I'd bring them along in case we need them. Hopefully we won't."

"Good thinking. I usually bring mine too. Didn't know you were a Dual dao guy."

I wonder what _that_ means? Maybe she's on to me. I'm not sure how to respond and luckily I don't have to. She signals for me to mount the adjacent dog-horse and we ride out beyond the outer wall of the city. We pass through two or three towns before we head into the forest. After a short ride in the forest, we stop by a river to rest up and have lunch.

"It's beautiful out here, isn't it?" she says as we eat the sandwiches Uncle packed for us this morning. I look around and observe that, perhaps, it is. I guess I never stopped thinking and worrying, or feeling bad for myself, long enough to appreciate nature.

"Sure," I reply.

"Come on, let's finish eating and go for a swim."

"Swim?" I don't usually enjoy swimming so I hope she's not serious.

"Yeah, like in the river. You do swim don't you?"

"Not really."

"Who doesn't swim?!" She seems shocked, like I just told her turtle-ducks have two heads or something. "I'm sorry, I mean... swimming is fun but we don't have to." She looks so disappointed that I feel bad.

"No, that's fine. Let's swim." I'd hate for her to be disappointed.

"Really?" Her eyes light up with joy that instantly transfers from her to me. I smile at her and finish off my sandwich before taking my shirt off and getting into the river. It's cold. I bend it a bit warmer before she gets in.

"That's strange, the water is usually a bit colder than this."

"Oh, are you disappointed?" I thought that she would appreciate the warmer water.

"No, it's nice. Just odd." She shrugs it off and we swim up the river. I follow her to what looks like a dam.

"A beaver-monkey dam," she notes.

"Beaver-monkey?"

"You don't get out much do you?" She picks up a medium sized brown animal with two large front teeth and a flat tail and holds it up for me to see. "See, beaver-monkey. Isn't he cute?"

Cute? Um, I guess? "Sure," I reply, poking the beaver-monkey. "I suppose it's pretty cool looking."

We swim for a bit longer and then dry off in the sun. I don't usually lay out in the sun or anything but I guess it is the best way, without bending, to get dry. She tells me about her trips out here and I tell her a bit about my travels with Uncle, leaving out any references to being banished and Avatar hunting of course.

After a while, we continue into the forest but, as we approach a thick gathering of trees, arrows fill the air.

We're under attack!

I look back at Sunny to make sure she's okay. She has dismounted her dog-horse and seems to have found cover behind a large boulder.

"Get down!" she yells.

From the looks of it, she's been in similar situations before.

Quickly, I dismount my dog-horse and find cover behind a large tree across from the boulder where Sunny is hiding. I figure it would be best for me to take position where she is clearly in my line of sight in case something happens to her.

I look up and scout out our attackers. I can see eight, maybe nine, of them.

They descend the trees and I draw my swords and disarm the three approaching me. I can see that Sunny has found a few opponents of her own. She successfully takes down the two on her side and starts her way over toward me. Two more swing down in my direction and one lands between Sunny and I. He is taller and stronger than the others and goes straight for Sunny. I can immediately tell that she's no match for him. She's good but he is clearly stronger than she is and will likely be difficult for her to take down.

Alarmed that she may get hurt, I quickly disarm the two on my side and turn to intercept him.

"Lee, watch out behind you!" she screams.

I must have underestimated the attackers. I turn to block the attack when a small flame suddenly shoots past my head and knocks my attacker to the ground.

Surprised, I turn to look for the source of the fire.

It's her.

A firebender?! And she's skilled enough to have not burned him (or my head) with her flames. It's almost too weird to be true. How is it possible that the earthbending General has a firebending daughter? Perhaps her mother is a firebender? But that would be highly unlikely in Ba Sing Se. Maybe she's adopted? Or... I have no idea! I guess I should add it to the list of questions I have for her.

"Firebenders!" the tall attacker between us yells out to the others.

Then, likely frightened by her bending, they all quickly disappear into the trees.

**Sunny**

We walk in silence for a while.

I'm not sure how to explain to him that I'm a firebender. Considering his scar, he must have been as hurt by the Fire Nation as I was. And he probably resents me for being a firebender. But I can't help it! I can't help that I am a firebender just as much as I can't help that I had to firebend in front of him. I'm so mad at myself for doing so but that guy was going right at his head with that crazy sharp sword of his!

I'm sure he doesn't want to travel with me anymore.

I guess we should probably just head home. But I can't give up this precious time I have to search! I avoid eye contact with him as we continue through the woods in silence.

"We should probably make camp soon," he notes as the sun begins to set.

I guess he doesn't want to turn back? Or maybe he's just tolerating me until morning.

Afraid to say anything, I nod in agreement. We walk until we find a small clearing by the river and then set-up camp for the night. Mother had packed some food for dinner so I gather some firewood so we can warm it up. I continue to avoid eye contact since he is probably going to start asking questions soon.

After arranging the wood, I go to my bag and grab the fire starters. I know I can easily bend a flame on to the fire wood but I don't want it to be more awkward than it already is.

I return to the firewood with the fire starters in hand and, to my surprise, _he_ firebends a flame onto the wood.

Startled, I drop the fire starters on the floor and stare at him.

"You..." I begin but am not sure where my sentence is going. "Did you just...?"

"Yup," he replies.

It looks like we both have some explaining to do.


	6. Part 1: Ch 6: Sunny

**Sunny**

As you probably figured by now, General How is not my real father. I was born in Capital City in year 83 ASC. My real father was an Admiral in the Fire Nation Navy and he taught me to bend even before I could walk. He married my mom at an old age and I was their only child.

When I was seven, we packed our things and planned to leave the Fire Nation. My Mom and I headed out first. We had false travel papers prepared and were to meet my father in Ba Sing Se, at General How's home. At that time, I didn't understand why we needed false travel papers or why my parents were being so secretive about our move. All I knew was that I had to be quiet and follow Mommy's instructions.

The first few days of our journey went smoothly but, on the fourth day, a Fire Nation platoon had caught up with us. At first I thought they were my father's friends coming to help us along in our journey. But, when they approached, their leader declared that we were traitors to the Fire Nation and attacked us. My Mom, being the strong woman that she was, fought back. Scared, I wasn't sure what to do, so I did nothing. Fire soon filled the air and the soldiers showed her no mercy.

In the frenzy of the fight, I was knocked to the ground where I watched my mother struggle to tell me something. I crawled closer to her to try and hear what she was trying to say. The trees around us were on fire and I could barely see the shapes of the men whose voices I could hear nearby. I could see that two or three lie near us, motionless. Blood covered my mothers side. I struggled to get close to her so I could help stop the bleeding.

"Run, Sunny," I heard her say when I got close enough to actually hear her voice.

I put pressure on her side where she was bleeding but the blood just kept coming out.

"No, Mommy. I can't leave you here! I won't!" I cried as I watched the life slip from her body. Frantically, I continued to put pressure on her side. I thought Daddy said that putting pressure on a wound would stop it from bleeding. Why isn't it stopping?! Why is there so much blood? This isn't right. No... I push harder on her side.

No, _please_.

"Mommy..." I said as the tears began to roll down my face.

"Run," she repeated desperately. Her body seemed to be struggling to stay alive. Her breathing slowed and then... it stopped.

I froze, not sure what to do.

"Mommy?!" I called to her through my tears. "Mom...?"

I hugged her motionless body tight. It was warm though I knew that there was no life left in it. How could I go on without my Mom? Where would I go? How would I get to Ba Sing Se? I don't even know which way to go... which direction the city is.

Mommy? Mommy...

"Ahhhhhh" I screamed as a soldier picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and began to run. I tried to call out to my Mom again but, when I looked back at the thick forest that was shrinking behind us, all I could see were _flames_.

By the order of the Fire Lord, they killed my mother. She was gone. Forever.

The soldier ran until we reached the shore. He took me off his shoulder and looked me in the eyes. He looked horrified; shocked, as if he had just seen something or perhaps as if he had just _done _something unforgivable. I looked up at the name on his uniform - Chey - it read.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Go, and don't look back. Don't come back or they will... they... they will _kill_ you."

He placed me in a small ship and set its course North. I'm not sure where I was going but, by that time, I didn't really care. All I could think about was Mommy lying on the ground next to me, dying; the blood that poured out from her side; and Chey's words to me as he started the boat on its course... _k__ill _me?

Mommy, I'm so scared.

Mom...

I must have passed out from the shock or something since I don't remember the boat ride at all.

When I woke up, I found myself wrapped in a warm blanket in a cave. Nearby, there were temples, mountains, beautiful beaches, and a tribe. There, I lived for three years. For the first few months, I couldn't speak. All I could think about was my mother. And each time I tried to talk to the members of the tribe who took me in, I found myself in tears.

Those men, they were... ruthless.

They wanted to _kill_ me. But, what had I done that was so bad that they wanted to kill me? That they _did_ kill Mommy? Did they kill Daddy too? Or is he in Ba Sing Se waiting for Mommy and I? I was so lost... so confused... so scared. I wanted, more than anything, to just go home. I wanted to crawl into Mom and Dad's bed like I've done so many times before when I had a bad dream. I thought to myself that it was all just a bad dream and that I would wake up and find myself at home.

But I never woke up.

After some time, I began to assimilate into their culture. The chief's sister took me in as her own daughter and taught me their way of life. She became my Mama. They were firebenders but their bending style was different than what Daddy had taught me when I was very young. Instead of seeing firebending as disciplined and dangerous art, as Dad taught it, they believed that fire is the source of energy and life, like the sun.

Over time, I learned to bend out of a love and respect for the energy and life produced by the sun. And, although I loved the tribe very much and was extremely grateful to them for taking me in, I knew I could not stay there forever. So, on the third anniversary of my mother's death, I told Mama what had happened to me and asked for her permission to continue my journey to Ba Sing Se in search of my father. I _had_ to know whether he's still alive. And, if he is, he had to know that _I_ am still alive.

To my surprise, she accompanied me to the Earth Kingdom capital and helped me to find General How. When I arrived at his home, with my travel papers from years before, he embraced me. He informed me that my father is still alive but that he had stopped coming in search of my mother and I, assuming we were both dead.

According to the General, Daddy made it to General How's home just as he had planned. There, he stayed for a few months, waiting for our arrival. He waited there until news came that we were attacked. Afterwards, according to the General, he became extremely bitter and angry, blaming himself for what had happened to us. He stayed only a few more days before he left General How's home, not saying where he was going. At first, he'd go back every few months in hope that the report was wrong and that we, or at least one of us, were still alive. But, as the years passed and no new news came in, he stopped showing up at the General's home.

I was relieved to find out Dad was still alive but the General had no leads on where he could be. Seeing the desperation in my face, and perhaps because of his friendship with my Dad, General How welcomed me into his home and insisted that I stay until I find my Dad.

Mama returned to the tribe and General How and his wife adopted me as their own daughter.

Since then, he has trained me in Dual dao combat because I could not firebend in Ba Sing Se. I trained relentlessly so that I could join the Earth Kingdom army as a sword-master and help fight in the war against the Fire Nation - the nation responsible for killing my mother and destroying my family - in hopes that the nations could someday come to peace and that I could therefore find my Dad.

When I turned fifteen, the General allowed me to come out to the countryside each month to search for Dad.

As of yet, I have not had much luck. But I will not give up until I find him.

Someday.

_Somehow_. I will find him.


	7. Part 1: Ch 7: Best Friends?

**Sunny**

I never told anyone besides Mama and General How my story before so I'm not sure how he's going to react. I'm not even sure why I told him everything. I guess perhaps I might have just been waiting a really long time to tell _someone_.

"I'm really sorry about your mother, Sunny," Lee says when I finish my story. He touches the scar on his face and then looks up at me. "I lost my mother as well. And, this scar... my father gave it to me right before he kicked me out of my home. I'm lucky that Uncle has been with me ever since. He's been like a father to me ever since."

"Oh..." I reply. I feel really bad for him and want to ask him more about his family but I decide not to. I can tell by his body language that it's really painful and uncomfortable for him to talk about it. "Your father must have been a really harsh man."

"He was," he says as he looks down at the ground in front of him.

I move closer to him then reach over and touch his scar. To be honest, I think it's kind of sexy. Though, that's probably inappropriate to say right now so I smile at him instead, hoping to convey my acceptance of the scar.

Then, he kisses me.

I'm a bit taken aback at first but his kiss is so gentle and sincere that I instinctively close my eyes as I feel my heart melt and its warmth overflow into every inch of my body.

Nervously, I kiss him back.

**Zuko (as Lee)**

I wrap my arms around her as I continue to kiss her deeply. Her lips are so soft and sweet that I want to kiss her forever. But that would be ridiculous so I stop myself.

I wish I could tell her more about me, that I could tell her my whole story. But, considering my grandfather _ordered_ her and her mother to be killed, she probably wouldn't take to my story very well. In fact, she'd probably hate me and firebend me to hell. And I can't stand the idea of her hating me.

I look over and admire her. She's the most free-spirited, determined, kindhearted, beautiful person I know and she looks so pretty in the moonlight that I want to reach over and kiss her again.

The moonlight?!

My stomach begins to growl as I suddenly realize how late it is. I finish heating up our dinner and we eat in silence. It must have been so traumatic for her to have to watch her mother... It's difficult for me to even _think_ about what happened to her. I can't imagine how hard it's been for her to have to live through it._  
_

I think about my own mother for a moment. I wonder if I'll ever find her? I think back about the last time I saw her, the night she disappeared. Why did she suddenly leave? What happened to make her abandon her two children? I don't know. I just wish she didn't leave. Things would be so different if she hadn't left. Maybe I wouldn't even have this stupid scar.

But then I probably wouldn't be out here in the Earth Kingdom with Sunny either, which _may _be worth the scar and everything I've been through.

"I never told my story to anyone here besides the General," Sunny says after we finish eating. "It's actually quite a relief to know that I can talk to someone about all of this. It's been years..."

"I'm glad you're able to talk to me, Sunny," I reply warmly. "And, it's pretty amazing that you can still be so happy despite everything that's happened to you." Though, I think to myself, it does explain the fear, pain, and determination that I saw in her eyes.

"It's taken a long time but, with the help of the tribe and General How, I think I've come to accept it all as part of who I am. I realize now that the unfortunate events in my life have helped shape me into the person who I am today, which I don't think is all _that bad_. I just wish I could find my Dad."

"That's true, I guess. I think you're pretty amazing and I'm glad that the events of your life have brought you here, with me, as the events of _my_ life have done for me." She smiles, a partially forced smile, at me but does not respond. I think I might be making her a bit uncomfortable so I change the subject. "And, your bending, it seems really advanced although your style is quite different than what I have seen. Your father and that tribe must have trained you very well considering you probably haven't been able to practice much since you moved to Ba Sing Se."

"Well, General How teaches me earthbending forms that I have been able to incorporate into my firebending."

"Really? That's pretty cool. You should teach me some of that," I insist. "I'm interested in knowing more since Uncle had taught me the advantages of learning from other benders."

"Sure, I can show you in the morning," she agrees.

We clean up and decide to go to bed. We have to share a tent since her's was destroyed by our attackers but I didn't mind since it gets pretty cold at night and it gives me an excuse to hold her, which I'm surprised she lets me do.

**Sunny**

The next morning, we do some training before breakfast. He is really good and I think I could learn a lot from him. His traditional firebending forms are much more advanced than mine, which makes sense since he's probably had many more years to actually learn them than I have.

"When did you leave home, Lee?" I ask as I warm up our breakfast. I know I shouldn't pry too much since he clearly doesn't want to talk about home in much detail but I'm curious.

"I was kicked out about three years ago, when I was thirteen. Uncle and I have traveled all over the world since."

"Oh, is your uncle a firebender as well?" I hope I'm not asking too many questions.

"Yes, he's one of the best." He seems really proud of his uncle. It's cute.

I ask if he thinks it's a good idea to tell his uncle about my firebending. He insists that Uncle is extremely understanding and that we should definitely tell him. I'm a bit reluctant but I guess he knows his uncle better than anyone. We both agree that it would be best if I told him myself, which I am both happy and nervous about. I hope Lee's right and that Uncle will respond well. Perhaps he can even help me find my father.

We finish eating and then pack our things, saddle up our dog-horses, and head home. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't make any progress in finding Dad this time but I don't mind too much since I think I may have just found my best friend instead.

"Hey, Lee..." I want to ask him to be my best friend but I'm not sure if that's weird or cheesy.

"Yes, Sunshine?" he replies with a smile. His smile is so reassuring (and super cute) that I feel a little better about asking.

"Do you think we can be best friends?" I muster up the courage to ask.

He chuckles.

Ugh, what a jerk! I can't believe he's laughing at me. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

He pauses for a moment, thinking about something. "I've never had a best friend before, besides Uncle maybe but I'm not sure he really counts since I don't understand what he's saying half the time."

I laugh. It's cute that he considers his uncle his best friend.

"But..." he continues.

"But what?"

"We can be best friends only if you agree to be my girlfriend too."

What?! I feel my face turn red. I didn't expect him to ask me to be his girlfriend. Not that I don't want to be his girlfriend or anything. I mean, it only makes sense I guess - two firebenders hidden in Ba Sing Se, a city where you can't even really _talk_ about firebending.

"I think I could do that," I reply with a smile.

He takes my hand and we walk through the woods towards home. It's strange, even though I've only known him for a couple weeks, I feel like I've known him my entire life. And holding his hand is so comfortable that it's as if I _belong_ with him. When I'm with him, I feel safe like I can really let my guard down and just be who I really am, something I haven't been able to do with anyone since Mom and I left Capital City almost ten years ago.

"Sunny?" he says after some time. "Is Sunny your real name?"

"Yes," I reply without hesitation. What a weird question! Of course Sunny is my real name. Though, I wonder, "Is Lee _not_ your real name?"

He shakes his head but then seems reluctant to tell me. He's silent for a while and then stops walking. I look up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Well..." he starts. "My name is actually Zuko."

I laugh. I know it's rude to laugh, which I don't think he appreciates, but it's just so Fire Nation-y. He looks annoyed but he doesn't let go of my hand. He's _really_ cute when he's annoyed. Though... that name sounds _very_ familiar.

Shrugs.

It's probably just because it's _so_ Fire Nation-y that it's like I've been transported into Capital City or something. I laugh again. _Transported into Capital City_. Man, would that _suck_.

"Zuko, I like it," I say after I gain control of my laughing. And I actually _do_ like it. In fact, I think it fits him quite well. Better than 'Lee' at least.

"Okay," he replies though he doesn't seem to believe that I actually like his name (probably because of the laughing). But it's not like I was laughing at him per se.

"Oh, Zee," I decide that I'm going to call him 'Zee' since it's kind of like his real name and Lee combined. I kiss him and then explain, "I only laughed because it's such a Fire Nation name that it makes sense why you can't go around telling people your name is Zuko. I like it."

"Right." He seems less annoyed now.

"It's cute on you," I add, smiling at him.

He smiles back and then continues to walk. He seems to be thinking about something else altogether now. His family perhaps?

After we pass through the thick forest of trees, we mount our dog-horses and ride the rest of the way home. It is dark by the time we get to my house.

"Thanks for coming with me on my trip," I say when we reach my door.

"Sure. I'm glad I did," he replies and then kisses me. "Goodnight, Sunshine."

I like it when he calls me Sunshine. It's endearing and sweet.

"Goodnight, Zee."


	8. Part 1: Ch 8: The Truth

_Inspired by Zuko's decision to join with Azula when she gives him the choice to help her and regain his honor in The Crossroads of Destiny._

* * *

**Sunny**

Zuko and I have been back from our trip for almost two months now. I started training as soon as we returned and now spend most of my time during the day preparing for my deployment. I continue to help out at the tea house in the afternoons and play Pai Sho with Uncle after the shop closes. Working at the tea house with Zee is a lot of fun and it makes me really happy that I still get to spend a lot of time with him and Uncle.

And, even though we've only known each other a few months, I feel so comfortable with him that when I'm with him, I feel like I'm _home_.

He's told Uncle about our relationship but I have yet to tell him about my firebending. I brought the tile with me today so maybe today will be the day. I know I should trust Uncle because Zuko says that I can but I _have_ to be sure. Either way, I only have a few more days left before my deployment so I should probably tell him soon.

As much as I don't want to be away from Zuko, joining the war against the Fire Nation has been my dream ever since I came to Ba Sing Se. When I first arrived, I think I was partially driven by my desire for revenge; my desire to avenge my mother's death and to fight against the ruthless Fire Lord who had ordered my Mom and I (and probably my Dad too) to be _killed_. But, since living with General How, he has taught me kindness and goodness and I have come to accept the things that happened to me as a necessary part of my life.

If we had not left the Fire Nation when we did or if we had actually made it to Ba Sing Se safely, I may never have realized the true extent of the Fire Lord's cruelty. And, I would never have met the tribe that taught me to embrace my firebending as a representation of energy and life rather than of anger and rage.

Sometimes I'm ashamed of being a firebender. Ashamed of who I was born as; _what_ I was born as. And I sometimes find myself wishing that I was born an earthbender instead, like the General. But, when I think about my Dad who is out there somewhere, my shame falls away and is replaced by my determination to find him.

There have been rumors that the Avatar is back. Perhaps, with the Avatar, we will be able to defeat the Fire Lord and restore peace to the nations. I have hope that he will be able to do so... or at least I have convinced myself that I somewhat believe that he _may_ be able to.

I just wish this war would be over and that the two sides of me that represent two of the four (well 3-ish now I guess) great nations could live openly and in peace. I mean, although I was born in Capital City and am by birth a firebender, I have also come to see myself as an Earth Kingdom citizen. The people here are _my_ people and this city is _my_ city. I wish I could freely live as a firebender here in Ba Sing Se and that I could help teach people about firebending as I have been taught by the tribe.

The thought of confessing the truth to Uncle is nerve wrecking but I know it is necessary. All day I continue to think about who I am, how I will tell him, and what I will ask him. Does he or did he know my Dad? Can he help me find him?

There's only one way to find out.

After we close the shop, Uncle and I sit down to play our regular game of Pai Sho. Knowing that I want to talk to Uncle alone, Zee volunteers to go grab some food. He kisses me and reassures me that everything is going to be fine before he heads out.

At the end of our first round, I take the tile out of my pocket and hold it in my hand.

"Uncle?" I begin nervously.

"What is it?" he asks.

I look down at the piece in my hand. He seems curious but doesn't push me to continue.

"How come you don't ever use this tile?" I say, holding up the Pai Sho tile Dad gave me before he sent Mom and I off so many years ago. He had placed it in my pocket and insisted that I keep it safe. He said that if I ever find myself in a situation where I am afraid and unsure of who I could trust, that if I find a Pai Sho player who knows this piece - I could be certain that he or she could be trusted.

"Oh, the White Lotus," he replies nonchalantly. "Where did you get that tile, Sunny?"

"My Dad gave it to me a long time ago..." I begin to tell him the story but then stop. His response doesn't _really_ convey that he knows the tile well.

Then, he takes the tile from my hand, places it in the center of the board, and arranges the rest of the tiles on the board around it like a flower. I recognize that pattern! Dad had shown it to me a few times when I was young. Though, he never explained what it meant. I'm still not sure what it means but I think it might mean that I can and that I _should_ tell Uncle the truth.

"You mean the General?" he asks, seemingly unaware of the pattern that he himself has made on the board.

"Um... no," I start but am not sure how to tell him. I guess I should just say it straight out. "General How is not my real father. My real father is..." I continue but then for some reason I can't say his name. "I have been separated from my real father for a long time now. He was friends with the General who has taken me in since I've come to Ba Sing Se in search of my real Dad. I was supposed to meet him here but..." My voice begins to trail off and I lose my train of thought.

Thinking about my father looking for me at General How's makes me really sad. He must have been so upset when he heard of our attack. I wish I could find him and tell him that I'm okay. I wish I could tell him how good his friend, General How, has been to me; how he and his wife have taken me in as if I was their own daughter; and how, even when they had children of their own, they never treated me any different than their own two sons.

"Come, we should probably continue talking in private," Uncle says and then walks towards the tea roasting room in the back.

I go in and sit at the table.

"What is your father's name, Sunny?" he finally asks directly. "I may be able to help you find him or I may _know_ him."

The calmness in his voice is soothing but I'm so nervous I can feel my teeth chattering. I haven't told _anyone_, not even Zuko, my father's name.

"His name is... Jeong Jeong," I reply.

"Ah, Jeong Jeong, my old friend! No wonder you looked so familiar!" he says. He seems overly happy about it, as if he _knows _me or something. I look up at him, confused. "Don't you remember me? It's Uncle Iroh." he adds, pointing at himself.

He looks silly pointing at himself. Old people are so weird.

Anyways, that's besides the point. Iroh. I think about it for a moment. Uncle Iroh. I _do_ know that name and... and... Teacher Lu Ten!

Right, I remember now! Uncle Iroh was one of my Dad's closest friends. He and his son, Lu Ten, used to come to my home and have tea. Dad and Uncle Iroh would play Pai Sho for hours while Lu Ten taught me firebending techniques in our garden. Lu Ten was my favorite teacher when I was young (and I may have had a little, or perhaps not-so-little, crush on him though he is much older than me so it clearly wouldn't have worked out). He was one of the best, if not _the_ best, firebenders there were (besides Dad and Uncle Iroh of course). And, as a teacher, he was always so patient and encouraging.

It has been a _long _time_._

"Uncle Iroh!" I say happily and then hug him. "I can't believe you are here in Ba Sing Se. I can't believe you are..." Wait, I'm confused. What is Uncle Iroh, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, doing serving tea in Ba Sing Se?! And... "Where is Teacher Lu Ten?!" I ask the most important question first.

Suddenly, I feel the atmosphere in the room change. It feels cold (although it is actually pretty warm in here considering all the tea roasting) and sad. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. Something must have happened to him. I shouldn't have said anything but...

I look up at Uncle to see if he is going to respond. He looks sad. I regret asking about him but, I wonder, what happened to Teacher Lu Ten?

"My son, Lu Ten, is... gone," he replies. "He was killed in battle."

"What?! Uncle... how? When?" I couldn't hold back the questions or the tears that seemed to have suddenly filled my eyes. Teacher's gone?! I can't believe it.

"About five years ago..." he says. He tells me how Lu Ten died right outside of Ba Sing Se and that his brother became Fire Lord not long after. He doesn't seem to want to talk about it much and quickly changes the subject, "Sunny, I know where your father is."

I look up at him, a bit surprised at his certainty. No one has _ever_ answered me so certainly before. I want to know more about Teacher Lu Ten but I don't dare to ask more questions. Besides, Uncle is giving me the information I want.

The information I've been searching for for the past seven years.

**Zuko**

"Hey, food is here," I announce as I put the food down on the table.

It's a little too quiet in here for a Pai Sho game. I look around for Uncle and Sunny.

Where did they go?

I walk over to the Pai Sho table and find that someone has arranged all the tiles into a flower. Strange. Why would they do that? I take another look to see if there are any clues. I guess it's kind of cool looking, like a bloomed Lotus.

Anyways, they are clearly not at the Pai Sho table. I begin to search the tea house for clues as to where they may have went. It doesn't look like there was any struggle so it couldn't have been anything dangerous (besides, who am I kidding? Uncle and Sunny could probably take down just about anyone who'd attack them).

I turn toward the back of the tea house as I hear the sound of a door opening. It is the tea roasting room. That's weird. Why would they go into the tea roasting room? There's nothing significant in there besides tea, roasting. They walk out silently. Neither of them look particularly happy. In fact, they both look a bit grim.

I guess she told him about her father and he wasn't able to help her. I really thought Uncle could help and I hope she is not too disappointed.

They sit down at the table and eat their food though neither of them look like they are really all there.

Uncle only gets this way when... maybe he told her the truth about _us_.

No, he wouldn't!

I look over at her and try to catch her gaze but she won't look my way. She just... eats. And she doesn't seem all too excited about eating either despite the fact that I bought her her favorite noodles. I had to walk an extra eight blocks to get those noodles!

Anyways, I need to focus here. Something is _seriously _wrong.

We finish our dinner and I walk her home as usual. But she doesn't talk to me the entire time.

"Sunny?" I finally decide to just ask her what's wrong. "Is something bothering you...? I mean, it seems like something is... you... maybe?" I'm not sure that was an actual question but I think she got the basic gist of what I'm trying to ask her.

She stops walking.

I wait for her to say something but she doesn't.

"Sunny?" I reach out and touch her chin, moving her face up towards me so I can see her eyes.

She avoids my gaze and a tear runs down her cheek.

She doesn't move or look up at me. And, despite the tears in her eyes, her face is rather expressionless. I feel my heart break into a million pieces as I watch the tears begin to flow liberally down her face. Why is she crying and why does it hurt so much for me to watch her cry? It's not like _I'm_ the one crying. I get angry at myself a little for being so upset but then focus my attention on her instead.

I don't know what to do.

She doesn't seem to want to talk or anything so I just stand there with her as she cries. I want to reach out and hold her but I'm afraid she'd push me away so I reach for her hand instead. She doesn't react so I hug her.

She seems to be crying pretty hard now.

I wish she'd tell me what's wrong. Did Uncle tell her something horrible about her Dad? I hope it's not true. Maybe I should ask?

No.

I hold her tighter and kiss her on the forehead. It's probably better that I don't say anything.

A few minutes later, she regains her composure and looks up at me. I think for a moment that she is going to say something but she doesn't. Instead, she pushes herself out of my hold.

I look at her and wait for her to speak.

"Zuko, I..." she starts.

What?! What's wrong Sunshine? Why are you crying? What happened? I want to ask her all these questions but I refrain myself since I'm not sure how she'd react to me questioning her right now.

"I... I can't," she continues.

_Can't what?_ I think to myself. She isn't making any sense.

"I mean... you are... I _hate_ you!" she finally says firmly and then turns and walks toward her house.

I start to follow her but something about the way she said she _hates_ me makes me stop. I don't think she wants me to follow her since, usually when people say that they hate you, it means they don't really want you to be following them.

But I don't understand.

I want to turn around and go back to the tea house to talk to Uncle but I can't seem to move. It feels like a part of me has just been torn out from inside me, leaving a void where she once was. The broken pieces of my heart that shattered while watching her cry are now slowly beginning to vanish. And a very familiar feeling comes over me.

I hate this feeling, this feeling of being so _alone_.

I stare at her front gate as silence wraps itself around me.

Her eyes... the tears streaming down her face. Why? And why does she suddenly hate me?


	9. Part 1: Ch 9: Home

_Inspired by The Crossroads of Destiny where Zuko is faced with making a critical decision whether to join with Azula or stay with Uncle._

_Recap of the episode leading up to the point where this chapter begins: __Uncle and Zuko are invited to serve tea to the Earth King only to find out that it was a set-up by Azula. Zuko is captured and thrown into prison with Katara. Unlce and Aang come to save them and Zuko is faced with a choice whether to join Azula, regain his 'honor', and go home OR to go down with Uncle._

* * *

**Zuko**

"What about Sunny?" Uncle continues to plead with me. "Are you really just going to throw everything away to go back 'home' Zuko? We have a new life here. _You_ have a new life here."

Sunny.

I think about her standing in front of her house crying last night. Thinking about her crying makes my heart start to hurt again. Why does he have to bring up Sunny?! Uncle insists that I should look deep into my heart to determine what I really want. But what if what I really want is not possible? What if what (or, more accurately, _who_) I really want _hates_ me?

"What did you two talk about yesterday Uncle?" I demand. I have to know why she was crying and why she suddenly decided that she hates me. It hurts to think about her hating me not only because she's my girlfriend but mostly because she's my _best_ _friend_ (though, my _only_ friend is probably more accurate but, whatever). "Did you tell her the truth about me?! About my banishment?" Uncle and I haven't talked about my banishment for a while now and I feel ashamed to even bring it up.

"No, Zuko. We didn't talk about you at all."

I'm not sure if I believe him. If he didn't tell her then why does she hate me?

"What _did _you talk about then?" I ask as I feel rage inside of me rise up; rage that had been such a familiar feeling for me until only recently. "You're not being very specific."

"I told her where she could find her father," he says calmly.

He's so calm it's weird. In fact, he is almost _too_ calm for someone who is caught in a mass of crystals. I mean, does he seriously not care that he's about to be taken prisoner by his own niece?! But, more importantly, if Sunny's father is fine and Uncle was able to tell her where he is then it doesn't make any sense for her to have been so upset last night. There must be more to it. Plus, _Uncle_ seemed upset yesterday too.

"And...?" I reply. I'm starting to get angry now. I'm sure he knows what I'm getting at so I don't understand why he insists on playing stupid! "And, what else did you talk about Uncle?!" I'm screaming now. I don't want to scream at him but he's making me so angry. Why won't he just tell me?!

"We talked about..." he begins but then starts to look sad again. "We talked about Lu Ten."

What?! What does my dead cousin, Lu Ten, have anything to do with Sunny and her Dad?

Wait.. she did tell me that her Dad was an Admiral in the Fire Nation Navy. Maybe they knew each other? That's it! They probably did. And, if she found out who Uncle really is and that his son Lu Ten is dead then she must have easily made the connection that my father is the Fire Lord and that I, Uncle's nephew, am...

"Uncle!" I scream. I'm so angry I don't know how to respond. I can't believe he told her! Didn't he think that she would figure it all out?! That she would _hate_ me? I can't believe it! He says I never think things all the way through but he certainly didn't think it all the way through when he decided to tell her who _he_ really is! Why would he do that?!

I'm so angry at Uncle that I storm out, blazing (literally, like flames and all), after Azula.

Maybe she's right. Maybe it's best for me to just do what she wants me to do and go home, where I _belong__._

**Sunny**

I'm not sure why I told him that I hate him yesterday. I don't think that I hate him... or... maybe I do?

I mean, his father had the audacity to take the throne from Uncle Iroh right after Lu Ten's death. And this war... he's continued, if not intensified, this war that Zuko's great grandfather had started so many years ago. And his grandfather, _his_ grandfather, was the very man who had ordered my Mom's death; who had ordered _my _death.

Of course I hate him!

But... I think about the softness of his face when he smiles at me and the goodness and kindness that I know are in his heart and that I have experienced first hand. Okay, maybe I don't hate him. It's not like _he_ did any of those evil things. It was his father and his grandfather who did them.

But if his father and grandfather are so evil then what makes him any different from them?!

Though, I'm sure he's different.

Uncle Iroh is different and he technically has the same father as Zuko's father.

Sigh, I starting to get confused with all these fathers and father's fathers.

And, I really need to focus on finding _my_ father. Uncle had informed me that my father was living in the northwestern part of the nation, with an Earth Kingdom village in the woods. I am headed there now and I hope that this time I will actually find him.

I think about my Dad (or what little I can remember about him).

When I was young, he used to take my mother and I on trips outside of Capital City. We would enjoy the natural beauty of the countryside, playing in the sun, and swimming in the lake. Although Dad is obviously a firebender he would always talk about waterbending and its techniques. I think that perhaps a part of him wished that he was born a waterbender instead.

Maybe he, like me, was reluctant to accept the shame of being a firebender. Not that firebending itself is shameful but all the evil that has been done with it in the past 100 years certainly _is_.

All the evil that Zuko's grandfather had done and that his father continues to do.

But, for some reason, I can't imagine Zuko being evil. Yes, there is that rage I sometimes see in his eyes. But I think that that rage may just be something that lives inside of each of us firebenders (except maybe the Sun Warriors perhaps). I've seen it in my father and in his trainees as well.

I guess I really shouldn't have told him that I hate him yesterday.

Yes, it's true that his father and his father's father and father's father's father for all I know are all pretty freaking evil. But that doesn't make _him_ evil. In fact, I'm pretty sure he is not evil. I mean, he is not his father. And I'm sure all the years he's spent traveling with Uncle Iroh has done _something_ to counter the potential brainwashing his father may have done to him when he was young.

And his scar...

I wonder if his father really gave him that scar? If so, it must have hurt... and I don't mean physically, though I myself am well aware of the physical pain of being burned, but more so emotionally. I can't imagine how it would feel if _my_ father intentionally burned _me_._  
_

The more I think about it the worse I feel about telling him that I hate him. I hope he's not too upset. He looked pretty confused yesterday, which makes sense I guess.

Maybe I should turn back and explain myself to thim?

But... I can't turn back _now_.

I have to find my father first.

I push on towards the village where my father supposedly is. By nightfall I arrive at what looks like an abandoned campsite. I take cover in one of the tents so that I can get some rest for the night. The tent is filled with candles, like someone was meditating in here not too long ago. I light the candles and draft an apology letter to give to Zuko when I get back to Ba Sing Se. Hopefully it will help explain some things. I feel bad for not explaining myself to him earlier but I was so confused by my own emotions that I couldn't have possibly said anything even remotely coherent.

I guess it's probably best that I didn't say anything last night, though... I wish I didn't say that I hate him because I obviously don't.

In fact, I think I might actually...

I don't let myself continue that thought. Instead, I put the candles out and go to sleep.


	10. Part 1: Ch 10: Return to Ba Sing Se

_Inspired by the events at the end of Season 2 and beginning of Season 3_

_Recap of story for those who may not remember: Azula infiltrates the Dai Li by pretending to be Kyoshi warriors and takes over Ba Sing Se. Zuko decided to join with Azula and she 'kills' Aang. Uncle is taken prisoner and they all return to the Fire Nation._

* * *

**Sunny**

"Hey... girl," I wake up to a man rudely interrupting my sleep. "Hey, are you okay?"

I open my eyes and look up at the man. Judging by the light coming through the door, it must be morning.

I turn my attention back to the man. What does he want? He stares at me as if I'm a ghost or something. Geez, do I really look _that_ bad in the morning? Though, I think I recognize this man. He looks vaguely familiar. But then again, it seems _everyone_ is vaguely familiar lately.

Shrugs.

I'm sure it will come to me later.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I _was_ sleeping but not anymore, I guess." I'm a little annoyed about the _was_ sleeping part. I've had so much on my mind these past couple of days that it has been very difficult for me to sleep.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sleeping," I reply. Isn't it obvious?!

"I mean, what are you doing here in this abandoned camp site? Are you _sure_ you're okay?" He seems concerned now.

"Oh, right." I totally forgot where I was. "I was... I mean, I am looking for someone." I feel bad for being annoyed at him before. "Do you, by any chance, know where _The Deserter_ is?"

"You mean, Jeong Jeong?" he replies. Clearly, he knows my Dad. "He left not long ago. I'm not sure where he went though. Zhao showed up with his ship and attacked the camp. We were separated and, when I returned, everyone was gone."

I can't believe I _just_ missed him, again!

"Are you sure, you have _no_ idea where he might have went?!" I ask desperately.

"No, ma'am. I'm sorry," he replies. "But, you look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" He looks familiar too. But, to be honest, I don't really care right now. All I can think about is how disappointed I feel that my Dad is _not here. _"You don't happen to be his daughter, do you?"

That takes me by surprise. Do I know this guy? "Um... yeah. And, you are...?"

"Chey," he replies.

Chey? The man who saved me that day... who placed me in the boat? Right, that's it! I remember his face from that day so clearly. He's obviously older now (and doesn't look totally freaked out like he did last time I saw him) but I definitely remember him. He must have deserted the Fire Nation as well, perhaps after what happened.

"Thank you for saving me that day Chey." I thank him like I've practiced a million times before. I never thought that I would actually have the chance to really say it to him or that it would be so... anti-climatic.

"No, thank _you,_" he replies. Why is _he _thanking _me_? I look at him, confused. "If it were not for that day, I'm not sure I would have been motivated enough to leave," he explains.

Interesting.

"Well... I guess I'm glad then?" I'm not sure how to respond. Clearly I'm not _glad_ that what happened happened but I guess I'm just glad that _some_ good came out of it I suppose. "Anyways, I should really head back then I guess."

I gather my things and get back on my dog-horse to go home.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to Ba Sing Se."

"What?! You can't go there!" he exclaims. He looks _extremely _alarmed.

"What do you mean I can't go there?" I'm really confused. Though, it seems confusion has become a pretty normal feeling for me nowadays. "I just came from there yesterday."

"Yes but... haven't you heard?" he begins but then pauses. "Oh wait, you probably just woke up right now, huh?" I'm glad he finally realizes that he woke me up. "Ba Sing Se has... fallen."

"WHAT?!" No offense but, what the hell is he talking about?! "What do you mean Ba Sing Se has fallen?! It's walls are impenetrable! What are you talking about?" I figured I'd leave out the 'hell' since that's not very nice to say to people.

"Well, according to the papers this morning, Princess Azula infiltrated the Dai Li and her brother, Prince Zuko, killed the Avatar yesterday," he relays the most ridiculous story I've ever heard.

"Princess Azula and _Zuko_ did what?!" I don't believe him. The Dai Li is the most elite police force in Ba Sing Se. There's no way _anyone_ could just walk in and infiltrate the Dai Li overnight. Not even Princess Azula. And, Zuko. Zuko would _never_ do such a thing. "I don't believe it."

"Um, Sunny... Sunny is your name, right?"

"Yes."

"Sunny, it's true," he insists.

"There's _no way_ that it's true. Zuko-" I start to explain to him how Zuko would never just kill someone, let alone the Avatar, but then I realize that I probably shouldn't tell him that since it would likely lead him to ask how _I _could be so sure of that. And then I'd have to tell him about Zuko and I... and considering the so-called 'report' he read this morning, that probably wouldn't go over very well. "It's just not a very believable story, that's all."

"Well, then go see for yourself."

"Fine," I say and then start my way back to Ba Sing Se.

"Wait, Sunny! No! You can't go to Ba Sing Se." He grabs the reins of my dog-horse.

"Hey, I know you saved my life and all but you really need to let go of the dog-horse. I don't mean to be rude or anything but I _have _to go back."

"No. It's too dangerous. I'm not going to let you go back there and just get yourself killed," he replies. "I didn't save your life for nothing."

Okay, maybe I should stop for a moment and listen to Chey. It doesn't make sense for him to make up this ridiculous story for no reason. Perhaps there is _some_ truth in his story?

"Okay, what do you suggest we do then?" I ask.

"Well, is there anyone you know who may be able to help us?"

"Um... General How, perhaps? But he's in..." Oh no! He's in Ba Sing Se! I hope he's not hurt. I don't know what I'd do if I had to lose _another_ father! I wonder what happened to him? What they did to him and the rest of the Council?

Thinking about it makes me feel so _helpless_.

My life _really_ sucks right now.

"Is there anyone else?" he asks. I guess he figured out where General How is by my reaction. I need to snap out of it and think. If this is really happening then we have a much bigger problem than just whether or not General How is safe.

If his story is true then _no one_ is safe._  
_

"There is one other person." I think about Uncle Iroh. I wonder where _he_ is. "Uncle Iroh."

"Iroh...? You mean _General_ Iroh?" He looks a bit confused.

"Yes."

"Right... are you sure you can trust him?" he asks.

Well, considering what his niece and nephew just supposedly did, maybe not. But I think about the sadness in his face when he told me about Lu Ten and the flower pattern he put on the Pai Sho board that night and, well, if I can't trust Uncle Iroh then I can't trust _anyone_; not even my own Dad.

"Yes. I'm _sure_ I can trust him," I decide.

"Okay, then we have to go see him. If you're sure you can trust him, then we must go and ask for his advice," Chey suggests.

"Um... Chey, that's a good idea but Uncle Iroh's in Ba Sing Se as well."

"Actually, he's not."

"What do you mean he's not?" Chey seems to know a hell of lot more about what happened yesterday than I do.

"He was taken captive and is probably being held in a high security Fire Nation prison in Capital City." Wow, another twist to his ridiculous story. What would make Zuko turn on his own Uncle!? I think about it for a moment. If this _is _true then I clearly don't know him _at all_. And to think that I considered him my best friend!

"And what do you suggest? That we just walk in and ask him some questions?"

"Yes, well sort of."

Chey is proposing the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard (besides his story itself, which is equally ridiculous)!_  
_

"Oh, that's just _lovely,_" I reply sarcastically. His story and suggestion is so ridiculous that I can't hold back the sarcasm anymore. "So, you refuse to let me go to Ba Sing Se because it's 'too dangerous' but you are suggesting that we break into a high security Fire Nation prison in the capital of the nation where the Fire Lord and his millions of guards are?!" I'm starting to think Chey may be a little crazy.

"Yes," he replies confidently. I guess he didn't sense the sarcasm in my voice when I recapped his plan to him! "Look, I know it sounds crazy." Oh great! He _knows_ he's crazy. What. A. Relief. (sarcastic again). "But, I know a way. I used to work there, remember?"

Okay. I didn't think about that. Maybe he's not as crazy as I thought (though still a little crazy).

"Alright," I agree reluctantly. Maybe this plan is actually a decently viable plan. "I guess Uncle's advice may be worth risking a trip to Capital City."


	11. Part 1: Ch 11: Uncle Iroh

_Inspired by Zuko and Iroh's experiences at home in the beginning of Season 3 in the episodes: The Awakening, The Headband, and The Avatar and The Firelord_

_Recap of episodes for those who may not remember: Zuko returns home and his father accepts him back because Azula lies to him saying that Zuko 'killed' Aang although she's the one who really did it. Zuko is confused and not happy because, although he has everything he's ever wanted, he feels unsatisfied. He visits Uncle in jail and Uncle gives him a secret scroll._

* * *

**Sunny**

It takes Chey and I weeks to travel to Capital City. From the camp site, we head to the port city of Makapu, one of the many Fire Nation colonies. There, we wait for a supply ship to leave for the capital. During this time, Chey tells me about my father and his travels. And he tells me stories about Dad before he deserted the Fire Nation and how he was one of the most skilled firebenders there has ever been. He tells me about how Dad had dedicated his life to serving his nation only to realize, as he grew in age, the brutal truth about the nation's cruelty and ruthlessness.

But, according to Chey, that wasn't the actual reason for my father's decision to leave the Fire Nation. Rather, my mother had begged him to leave for the sake of their child - me. She refused to let me grow up in a world with no happiness; a world where discipline and war was all that was taught to the children. My mother apparently begged him for years to leave before he had come up with the plan that we eventually took. He knew it would be dangerous but felt that our freedom, _my_ freedom, was worth the risk.

Afterwards, when he found out that Mom and I hadn't made it to Ba Sing Se, he blamed himself for our deaths and swore to never teach firebending again because it was his very own pupil - Zhao - who had carried out the order to kill his family.

In those weeks, I thought about my Dad constantly. About how horrible he must have felt and about how horrible he probably still feels. I wish I could just find him already and tell him that I'm okay.

I wonder if, when I do find him, I'll lie to him and tell him that Mom's death was instantaneous and that I didn't have to see any of it?

I don't know.

After weeks of waiting for a ship to leave, one is finally scheduled to go out of our port. Chey and I talk about disarming two of the shipmates and pretending to be part of the crew but we abandon the idea since they would probably find it suspicious that they do not recognize us. So, we took to the cargo bay instead.

Bombs and weapons were all that were down here.

_Horrible._

I can't believe how many weapons are being transported to the capital. They must be preparing for some sort of attack.

When we arrive, Chey leads us directly to the prison where he thinks they are holding Uncle Iroh. We wait until lunchtime, when the guards are fewer in number, and Chey disarms a guard and steals his uniform. I, on the other hand, find the girl who delivers the food to the prisoners and steal her clothes. I feel bad for taking her clothes but I _need _them. Plus, I have to give her my new shirt in return!

I begin delivering food to the inmates. If Uncle's here, I'm sure I'll find him eventually.

**Iroh** (Yes,_ Iroh. I just love this part of the story so much because it's so moving that I want to take a stab at writing what Iroh probably feels when Zuko visits him in prison.)_

I feel like I've lost _two _sons now. And seeing him so angry and confused makes me really sad.

But, it also gives me hope.

The fact that he comes here, and the fact that he is even confused to begin with, means that the good inside of him may be close to winning. I look down at the scroll in my hand. I should probably give this to him next time he comes to visit.

"Uncle!" A familiar voice greets me as the smell of food fills the air.

I look up and see that it is Sunny!

"Sunny?"

"Hi, Uncle. I'm so glad we found you! I brought you some of that roasted duck-pig you like so much. I got it before we left port yesterday so it might be a little stale but..."

"What are you doing here?" It's sweet of her to bring me duck-pig but I'm sure she didn't come all the way over here just to give me food. And, how did she get here anyways?

"Uncle, there's no time to explain it all. If you are here in this prison then that means that all of it is true - Ba Sing Se _has_ fallen and _Zuko_..." I can tell by her voice that she is very upset about Zuko. Perhaps even more upset than I am considering she doesn't understand that Zuko is going through a process of discovering what his true destiny is and that this is only a part of that journey.

"Yes. It is true."

"Well, then, we _really_ need your advice. I don't know what to do and I don't know who else I can turn to."

"Who is 'we?' And, you really risked your lives to come all the way here to ask for my advice?" I am moved that she trusts me so much as to come here from Ba Sing Se for advice. Though, considering she was in Ba Sing Se, how does she not know what happened? Oh, maybe... "Did you go find your father, Sunny?"

"Oh, Chey helped me get here and... yes, I went to find my Dad but I was unsuccessful."

"Well then, I think you should go back to Ba Sing Se."

"What?! Are you serious? Is _that_ your advice?!" She doesn't seem pleased about my suggestion.

"Yes, Sunny. I think you should go back to Ba Sing Se. But do not go into the city. There is a camp just outside of the city. Go there and you will be safe." I plan to gather the Order of the White Lotus there when I break out of here on the Day of Black Sun so, if she leaves now, we should be there by the time she arrives.

"Okay, Uncle..." she agrees reluctantly.

"Oh, and Sunny," I hand her the scroll in my hand. If she could get in _here _she could certainly deliver this scroll for me. "Can you deliver this to Zuko for me?"

She takes the scroll and then says her goodbyes.

She steps out as the guard comes in. I look away, pretending not to notice him.

"Sir," he says respectfully. Well that's a change from this morning! "Sir?

He seems to really want my attention for some reason. I look over at him to see what he wants and he hands me a letter. A letter? I open it and find that it is actually for my nephew. I guess I will give it to him next time he comes.

**Sunny**

I think about Zuko as I leave Uncle's jail cell. Ugh, why did I agree to deliver this stupid scroll to _Prince_ Zuko, that traitor!? The last thing I want to do, besides be here period, is to see Zuko's face. If I didn't hate him that day when I wrote that stupid letter that I tossed in the trash, I sure do hate him now. Not only has he betrayed me but he betrayed his uncle. _His_ uncle who he claimed to have loved so much.

Ugh, the thought of him disgusts me.

I can't believe Uncle is in prison. I wish I could help break him out or something but I know that that would just end in all of us being in prison. And then Uncle would have to worry about me as well.

Again, I feel so helpless.

I guess the best I can do for Uncle is to give Zuko this stupid scroll.

I tell Chey about the scroll and he helps me get to Zuko's room. I place it at his door and then turn to leave. But, before I can get very far, I hear footsteps on the other side of the door. He must have heard me put the scroll down.

Quickly, I hide in the shadows. Good thing this gloomy palace has so many dark shadowy places to hide. No wonder everyone's pissed off here. It's so dreary and grim.

He opens the door and picks up the scroll.

He looks pissed.

Good. He should be pissed. He should be pissed off at himself for being such a freaking traitor! I think for a moment about the night we went to the Dragon Festival, about his smile when I looked into his eyes after the fireworks flew over us. That Zuko, my best friend, was a lie._  
_

I start to feel sad but anger replaces my sadness as I turn and head back towards Chey.

We have a long journey ahead of us, back to Ba Sing Se.


	12. Part 1: Ch 12: Zuko

_Inspired by The Day of Black Sun when Zuko makes his decision to leave the Fire Nation and join the Avatar. Also includes references to The Avatar and The Firelord & Nightmares and Daydreams_

_Recap of episodes for those who may not remember: Zuko reads the scroll that Uncle gave him and realizes that Avatar Roku is his great grandfather and that he was best friends with his other great grandfather Sozin. He confronts Uncle in prison and Uncle gives him a hairpiece, a Fire Nation royal artifact that is to be worn by the Crown Prince. He attends a war meeting where his father and Azula decides to burn down Ba Sing Se on the Day of Sozin's Comet. He realizes his true destiny is to train Aang in firebending and stands up to his father and leaves home._

* * *

_Note, entire paragraphs/lines in Italics in this chapter symbolize items that Zuko is reading. Also note, this is not random Zuko/Mai action, I'm just acknowledging the fact that they are actually together in these episodes._

* * *

**Zuko**

I have everything I've ever wanted - servants offering me things all day long, my father's acceptance... Mai.

But why is it not as satisfying as I thought it would be?! I don't want most of the things the servants offer me and I can't even walk to Mai's house, which is right across the street! I know I should be grateful that my life is so comfortable now compared to living on the road with Uncle but I'm not.

_And I have changed as well._

I think back about that one line from the stupid not-so-secret history Uncle tricked me into reading. Again, I wonder how _I've_ changed since I left (or, more accurately, was banished from) home over three years ago.

I tried to talk to Mai about it on our way home but she wasn't very comforting. Just like she wasn't very comforting when I tried to talk to her about the war meeting. She's just so blah about everything (except fruit tarts I suppose). I guess I should be more appreciative of her attempts to cheer me up but her suggested distractions don't help in solving any of my problems!

I guess she wouldn't understand.

Or, maybe she's right. Maybe I shouldn't care so much about these things. But, if I'm going to be the Fire Lord one day, I _need_ to care about them!

I look at the hairpiece Uncle gave me a few days ago.

Maybe _Uncle's_ right. Ever since Ba Sing Se, there really _have_ been two pretty distinct parts of myself who actually do seem to be at war within me.

Before Ba Sing Se, I was so sure of my destiny - to regain my honor and to help my father finish this war. But now, now that I have everything I was so sure I wanted, I'm not so sure it's right.

I mean, if this _is_ my destiny, why does it feel so wrong?!

Ugh, why am I even thinking about this? My father was pleased by my insight at the war meeting yesterday. But, like I told Mai, it's not like I was able to speak my mind at all. It's not like I was really _me_. And I bet if I did speak my mind father would have banished me (if not something worse) all over again!

Maybe Mai's right, I shouldn't have gone.

But...

If the 'Perfect Prince' isn't me, then what is? Who am I?

I think about Avatar Roku being my great grandfather and his friendship with my other great grandfather, Sozin.

Maybe Aang and I _could_ be friends...

No, I push the thought out of my mind. I'm just confused. I _belong_ here.

But, despite the fact that father had believed Azula's story and even let me sit at his right hand at the war meeting, a part of me still feels like his view of me hasn't really changed. Why do I still feel like he sees me as his useless, no good, son who he doesn't trust with anything? It's as if even killing the Avatar (which I didn't actually do) isn't good enough for him! I wonder if there's _anything_ I could ever do that would ever make me good enough for him?

I wonder if there's anything I could ever do to make him actually _love_ me?

Maybe it's all in my head. Maybe he _does_ love me and I'm just letting the hurt from my past haunt me again.

Though, either way, I still don't feel like I belong here. And I can't seem to figure out if I love or hate anything (or anyone) around here! Except Mai, of course, who I don't hate. But, besides her, I don't even know if I love or hate my own sister, my own father, or even my own _uncle_!

And Mai, even though I know I don't hate her, I feel like she doesn't _really_ get me. It's obvious when I talk to her. Though, it is sweet of her to try and help me get my mind off things. But, let's be honest here, fruit tarts and rides around town aren't going to cut it for me. And, while it is nice to be able to take a break from all this confusion inside of me, I can't just ignore it forever.

Maybe I _don't_ belong here?

I wish there was someone I could actually talk, someone who would actually understand me.

Perhaps I have changed too much in my travels with Uncle for anyone here to actually understand me. Ugh, I miss Uncle and...

I catch myself before I even _think_ her name.

Life is Ba Sing Se is such a distant memory that it feels weird to think that I actually lived there; that there was a time in my life when I wasn't so totally confused and angry; that there was a time in my life when I was actually _happy_.

Maybe it wasn't even real. Maybe it was just a dream and that I didn't actually live there with Uncle and that I didn't actually betray him and that he isn't really in prison and that...

Again, I don't let myself think about her. Since I left Ba Sing Se, I haven't let myself think about her because I'd probably go crazy if I did.

It was all just a dream, I tell myself.

But... Uncle's in jail now and...

And they both _hate_ me (and rightfully so I guess). Maybe they're right in hating me. Maybe I am just a horrible traitor who deserves to be tormented in hell forever! Not that either of them actually said that to me but the disappointment in Uncle's eyes every time I see him in that cell and the conviction in her eyes that night when she told me she hates me, makes it pretty clear that they would both probably be pretty happy to see me burn in hell.

And, here I am... _burning_.

I pick up the letter Uncle had given me with the hairpiece. I've been avoiding reading it until now but, I wonder, what did Uncle write? It's probably pretty important since it's not like him to write me letters. Maybe it will help me figure this out.

I open it and begin to read:

_Dear Zee,_

I look up from the letter a bit shocked. This letter is _not_ from Uncle. There's only one person in the world who calls me 'Zee.' Plus, Uncle's hand writing isn't nearly as neat.

I continue to read:

_I'm really sorry that I told you I 'hate' you yesterday. The truth is, I don't hate you. I was just so confused and hurt about what your grandfather did to my mother and about what your father did to Uncle Iroh and Lu Ten that I blamed you for it. I know it's not fair for me to blame you since it's not like you did either of those things but I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I wasn't thinking straight._

_I realize now that I can't assume that you are an evil person just because your father and your grandfather did horrible things. And, for all I know, they may not actually be as evil as I think they are either. I'm sure that everyone has their reasons for the things that they do, or are driven to do; and that no one is truly and completely 'evil.'_

_Anyways, whether your father and grandfather are evil or not, I know that you certainly are not. And, having spent the last couple months with you, I'm sure of it._

_I know a couple months is not a long time but I want you to know that meeting you has changed my life. I'm really grateful that I have found someone who I can actually talk to, confide in, and who I can honestly call my 'best friend.'_

_I'm sorry if my words hurt you and I hope you'll give me a chance to make it up to you._

_I'm on my way to where Uncle tells me Dad is now. I can't wait to see you when I get back to Ba Sing Se!_

_Love,_

_Sunny_

I read the letter again and again until I could practically memorize it.

Why didn't I open this earlier!? And how did Uncle get a hold of this letter... ?

I think back about how pretty she was that night in the countryside, about how much fun we had working at the tea shop together, and about all the things I wanted to tell her but didn't. I regret not telling her everything when I had the chance. I'm sure _she_ would have been able to understand.

Out of all the people in the world, I feel like she's the only person who could probably actually understand me. I think about her eyes and... her kiss. All the memories that I had suppressed since that night - the night she was crying in my arms - come rushing back.

It _was_ real.

I _did_ live in Ba Sing Se and I can't... no, I _won't_ let Azula and father burn it down! I think about Uncle's tea shop and our apartment; about General How's house and the countryside; about Sunny. Before coming home, I wanted so much to stay in Ba Sing Se and make sure Sunny was safe. Even though I was convinced she hated me, I still didn't want anything to happen to her. But, when I saw them put Uncle on the ship, I _had_ to get on.

I'm so ashamed of what I did... of how I betrayed Uncle after everything he's done for me.

The thought of father burning down Ba Sing Se makes me angry. But it's not the type of anger that I'm used to. Instead, it feels like a strong conviction in my heart, like I know _for sure_ that it is wrong and that I can't let it happen. How could he just burn down a whole city full of innocent people?! How is that 'spreading the glory of the Fire Nation' in any way?! It doesn't make any sense. Suddenly, I feel ashamed of my family and the evil that they did and are planning to do.

Uncle says that _I_ have the power to restore honor to my family...

I am certain now of what I have to do.

I will not let them burn down that city, _her_ city (and probably her with it).

But... what about Mai? I think about how sad she's going to be for a moment and feel bad. But I have no choice. I can't let my guilt about Mai hold me back from my destiny.

I draft an apology letter to her and leave it on her desk.

I pack my things - the letter from Sunny, a picture of Uncle, and my mother's necklace.

I'm ready now.

I am ready to embrace my destiny and help the Avatar restore balance to the world.


	13. Part 1: Ch 13: I Love You

_Inspired by the episode Sozin's Comet where Team Avatar finds Uncle and the members of the White Lotus near Ba Sing Se on the day of Sozin's Coment_

_Recap of what happens for those who may not remember: Zuko joins the Avatar and teaching him firebending after relearning to firebend by the dragons who are kept secret in the Sun Warrior's ancient city. The Day of Sozin's Comet is coming and Aang disappears so the rest of the gAang goes to find Uncle. They find him in a campsite outside of Ba Sing Se where he's called the Order of the White Lotus (bunch of old guys who are masters of the various elements) to help retake Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation._

* * *

**Sunny**

I wanted to come back to Ba Sing Se the moment I heard about what happened. And, even though I was annoyed about the fact that I had to come all the way back here after traveling all the way to Capital City, I'm glad that Uncle sent me home (or close to it at least).

I arrived a few days ago and Uncle Iroh found me. He brought me to this camp where I was reunited with my Dad. I can't believe Dad is actually here! Uncle must have known the entire time that he would be here.

Since my arrival, we've been training for today - the day of Sozin's Comet - when we will help to reclaim Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation.

I'm so honored to be training with and preparing to fight along side these great masters. And to be reunited with my Dad, it's like a dream come true!

I told Dad the truth about what happened to Mom and I and about how Chey saved my (twice if you count preventing me from coming back to Ba Sing Se any earlier). I also told him about General How and how I met Uncle Iroh at the tea shop and used the Pai Sho piece that he gave me to determine if Uncle could be trusted. They both laughed at the idea of not being able to trust Uncle, the Grand Lotus. But, I didn't know!

I didn't tell Dad about Zuko though. I figured I'd just leave that part out. Uncle and I haven't talked about him at all either. I think there's a mutual understanding there that we just don't mention him. Though, I don't think Uncle is mad at him at all. But I'm guess he can tell that I sort of hate him.

Dad and I talk about starting a new life together after the war. We're planning to move near Ba Sing Se so he can play Pai Sho and drink tea all day with Uncle and I can hopefully continue to serve in the Earth Nation Army. I want, more than anything, to help restore my city and home. And I know that, even after we defeat the Fire Lord, it will be a long time before the nations can truly be at peace. The scars and pain from the war will certainly continue to affect the relations between the nations at least for some time.

I walk down to the lake where I see a young waterbending girl practicing some of her forms. Dad tells me the Avatar's friends arrived last night so she must be part of that group.

"Hi, you must be the Avatar's waterbending teacher?" I ask as I approach her.

"Oh, hi. Yes, I'm Katara. Nice to meet you." She seems really nice.

"I'm Sunny. I'm not a waterbender or anything but do you think you could show me some waterbending forms?" I ask. "My Dad always raves about how great waterbending is. I actually suspect he secretly wishes he was a waterbender."

She laughs.

"Sure," she agrees. "You're like the only young person here, huh? Whose your Dad anyways?"

"Jeong Jeong," I say proudly.

"Oh! Jeong Jeong was Aang's first firebending teacher! I didn't know he had a daughter."

"He was?! He didn't tell me that!" I can't believe Dad taught the Avatar! That's so cool!

I tell her about how I was separated from my Dad when I was young and she tells me about her Mom.

We practice for a while before the rest of her friends show up. I meet Suki, Sokka, and Toph. Suki and Sokka are so cute together! Suki is a Kyoshi Warrior and I can tell immediately that we are going to be really good friends, hopefully for a long time.

After some time, the rest of them leave but Katara and I stay by the water. She tells me about how they found Aang in an iceberg and how they've been traveling the world with him ever since. Half way through her story, she asks if I mind having a friendly duel so that she can practice for the big fight today.

I agree.

**Zuko**

I step out of Uncle's tent and walk down to the lake where I see Katara having a friendly match with a firebender. Between the flames and the water, I can tell that the person Katara's dueling is a young Fire Nation girl and that she's _really_ good. Her flames are powerful yet controlled. In fact, I think she may actually be fun to challenge. Perhaps we can duel after she and Katara are done.

By the time I'm half way down to the lake, their duel comes to an end and they begin to play some sort of game. It looks like they are turning water into steam or something. Girls are so weird.

I get to the side of the lake and I realize that it's her, Sunny!

Time comes to a stop. Seeing her is like seeing a ghost from a beautiful dream that I thought I'd never have again.

"Sunny?!" I call out to her nervously. I try to say more but I can't seem to move my mouth to make it talk.

She turns around and I feel the blood rush to my face. I can't believe how good she looks in red! I swallow hard and think about what I'm going to say to her next.

"Zuko!" she screams, alarmed, and then bends a blazing ball of fire at my head. I deflect with a quick fire ring around me. Well that's a strange way to greet your _best friend_ whom you haven't seen in a while. I think I would have chosen a much calmer and friendlier approach. Maybe she read my mind about the duel? Wait, no, she can't possibly read minds!

I continue to deflect the fire coming my way until Katara steps between us.

"What are you doing Katara? He's dangerous!" _She _thinks _I'm _dangerous? Her words hurt. I would _never_ do anything that would put her in danger (well, except when I helped my sister take down Ba Sing Se I guess... but that was in the past!). Plus, I thought she had decided that she doesn't hate me?

"No, Sunny. I know this sounds crazy, and trust me I could hardly believe it myself, but he's not! He's actually with us and is Aang's firebending teacher," Katara explains.

Thanks Katara.

"What?!" She doesn't seem to believe it but at least she isn't hurling fireballs at my head anymore. I try to think of something else to say to her but she storms off toward the campsite.

I'm sure if I just explain myself to her, she'd understand.

"Sunny, please. Let me explain," I beg, following her to the campsite. "I was confused, but now I'm not!"

She pretends not to hear anything that I say and goes into her tent. I guess I should give her some time to collect her thoughts.

"By the looks of it, you two know each other." Katara seems to have followed me up here.

"Yeah..." I start, "she's my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?"

I walk past Katara and go into Uncle's tent. As usual, he's playing Pai Sho with one of the other old guys.

"Uncle, can I have a word?" I ask, acknowledging that he's in middle of a game.

"Sure, nephew. What's wrong?"

"You didn't tell me Sunny is here!" I say, trying to remain calm. I think that would have been an important fact that he _could_ have told me this morning!

"Oh, I didn't realize you and Sunny are friends," the other old guy says.

"Um... yeah. We _were _friends."

"Zuko, this is Sunny's father - Jeong Jeong," Uncle introduces us.

"Oh... hello again, sir," I say a bit embarrassed. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything about her in front of her Dad. Though, if her Dad is here then it must mean that she's found him! She must be really happy about that.

"Hello, son. Now, what's the problem with my daughter?"

"Well... she won't talk to me," I reply. I feel nervous talking to her Dad about her.

He laughs. Why is he laughing?!

"Oh, she's probably just confused. I'll try to talk to her," Uncle says and then gets up and leaves.

"Pai Sho?" her Dad suggests, signaling me to take Uncle's seat at the table. Even though I'm _sure_ I'm going to lose, I know I can't turn down an old man in _this_ camp when he insists I play Pai Sho with him.

**Sunny**

I storm into my tent and bury my face in my pillow. Zuko is the Avatar's firebending teacher?! She's kidding right? Zuko is the biggest traitor in the whole world!

"Sunny? Can I come in?" I hear Uncle's voice at the door.

"Sure, Uncle," I say, still face down on my pillow.

He comes in and sits on the side of my bed.

"Sunny, I know you are probably very confused about Zuko right now."

"Yeah..." I acknowledge. I _am_ confused.

"You know, you should probably give him a chance to explain himself."

"I'd rather not, Uncle," I reply. I really would prefer it if he just left me alone. Then I won't ever have to think about him again and I won't ever have to be so hurt by him again! I start to cry as I think about how much it hurt when I found out the _truth_ about him. After a while, I stop myself from crying and cover my pain with anger instead.

I hate him!

Uncle pauses for a moment and then continues, "Sunny, I know my nephew can be difficult to understand but he has a good heart. And I have a feeling you may able to understand him more than you are willing to admit. I think he could really use a friend like you in his life."

I don't respond.

After a couple of minutes, he gets up, pats me on the back and then leaves. I continue to lay in bed with my face still in the pillow.

A _good heart_, I think to myself.

I fall asleep for a while but am woken up by a knock at my tent door (if it's even possible to knock on tent doors). I get up and open the door.

"Zuko," I say softly, looking up at him. Well he certainly _looks_ the same. Though, I guess it's not his looks that betrayed me.

"Yeah," he says, avoiding my gaze. He pauses for a while before he asks, "Um... can I come in?"

I don't answer. Instead, I walk back into my tent, leaving the door open for him to enter.

He follows me in.

I sit at my desk and look down at the floor, waiting for him to say whatever it is he came to say to me.

"Your Dad just kicked my butt in Pai Sho," he says after a while. I didn't expect him to say _that_!

I laugh and look up at him for a moment. He sits down on my bed and picks up Ran, the stuffed dragon that travels with me (the dragon that he gave me a lifetime ago in Ba Sing Se). I don't even know why I'm so attached to that thing. My smile fades and I look down at the floor again. I can't believe he's really here.

"Sunny..." he says after some time. He sounds serious now. "I know I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. But, I want you to know that _you've_ changed my life as well."

"What do you mean I've changed your life _as well_?" I don't think I ever actually told him how much he meant to me.

"Well, when I was home... I realized that I was no longer the person that I was when I left so many years ago and..." he starts but then hesitates a few seconds before continuing. "And, well, I realized that the only time in my life when I was actually really happy, and not confused, was when I was in Ba Sing Se, with you."

"I was happy then too," I admit.

He smiles. "You taught me how to appreciate life and how to actually believe that there is good inside of me. And your letter made me realize that I am free to choose not to be like my father and my grandfather; that I _am not_ my father or my grandfather."

"My letter?"

"The letter you gave Uncle to give to me." I never gave Uncle that letter to give to Zee... it must have been Chey! I think for a moment that I probably should have burned it instead of tossing it in the trash but then realize that perhaps it was better for Zuko to have read it. Perhaps Chey has, indirectly (and more so emotionally than physically), saved my life again.

"Oh, right. I sort of threw it out. I guess destiny wanted you to have it," I confess.

"Well I'm glad it made it's way to me. These past few years have been really hard for me and I've been really confused and lost. When I was thirteen, my father challenged me to an Agni-Kai and he burned my face. Then, he sent me on an impossible mission to capture the Avatar. For years, I chased him, determined to capture him and regain my honor. But, I was never successful. And I know why now."

"So that you can become his firebending teacher?"

"Yes. When Uncle and I got to Ba Sing Se, you probably didn't know this but I was the Blue Spirit who you had almost successfully arrested. And, it was what I saw in your eyes - the fear, pain, and determination and the hope and kindness that persisted despite all that fear and pain - that made me start thinking about _me _possibly being good despite everything that's happened to me. Though, I'm sure Uncle's constant nagging about looking inside of myself and thinking about good and evil didn't hurt either."

"Uncle does that?" I ask sarcastically.

We laugh.

"Sorry, please continue."

"Well, either way, our time in Ba Sing Se was the happiest time of my life and I want you to know that I wanted to tell you everything - who I am, where I came from, and what happened to me - but I felt like I couldn't because I was afraid that I'd lose you. I was afraid that you'd hate me. And, now, you obviously do. But that's okay because I-"

I get up and kiss him.

**Zuko**

"I don't hate you Zuko," she says after she kisses me.

"You don't?"

"No. I _love_ you," she admits.

She is looking into my eyes now. I look back at hers. They are as pretty as the first time I looked into them that night in the lower ring. The only difference is the fear is gone.

"I love you too, Sunshine," I say and then kiss her again.

I can't believe that she loves me. I totally thought that she'd hate me forever. Women are so confusing! But I don't care. She _loves_ me. I continue to kiss her and then I hold her in my arms.

We talk for a while about everything we've been through since we left Ba Sing Se. She tells me about how she found Chey (the man who saved her life), snuck into Uncle's prison, left the scroll at my door, traveled back to Ba Sing Se, and found her Dad. And I tell her about my time at home, my confusion, my travels with the gAang, and my new found desire to help Aang restore peace to the world.

I never felt so close to anyone before. Though, I guess I've never actually been so close to anyone before.

"Hey, Sunny?" I say after we talk for a few hours.

"Yeah, Zee?" She looks up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers.

"There's something I want you to have in case... well, you know, in case my father is successful and we all end up in some Fire Nation prison tomorrow." I take out my mother's necklace and put it on her. "It was my mothers."

"Oh... Zuko, I _can't_ accept this," she says and then begins to take it off.

"No, Sunshine. It's important to me that you to have it," I say as I take her hands away from the necklace and kiss her. My father had given this necklace to my mother on their wedding day. And, although I know we're not getting married or anything right now, I'd like to think that someday we could.

"Okay," she relents. She touches the pendant and smiles at me, accepting it. It looks really pretty on her.

We hang out for a bit longer, reminiscing about our time together in Ba Sing Se and making a list of all the things we should do when we reclaim the city.

At lunchtime, she decides to go eat with her Dad as I join Uncle and the gAang by the campfire.

* * *

_Additional inspiration comes from the lyrics of the song 'For Good' from the Broadway musical Wicked:_

_I've heard it said,  
That people come into our lives  
For a reason  
Bringing something we must learn.  
And we are lead to those  
Who help us most to grow if we let them.  
And we help them in return.  
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true  
But I know I'm who I am today  
Because I knew you._


	14. Part 1: Ch 14: Where I Belong

_Inspired by Zuko's coronation as the Fire Lord at the end of Sozin's Comet_

_Recap of story for those who may not remember: Uncle tells Zuko he should become Fire Lord so Zuko and Katara travel to the Fire Nation and defeat Azula. Aang successfully defeats Ozai and they all go to Capital City for Zuko's coronation._

* * *

**Sunny**

With the help of the Avatar, we successfully reclaim Ba Sing Se. The next day, Dad and I travel to Capital City for Zuko's coronation. We arrive early in the afternoon and head over to see Zuko in the palace.

Before he and Katara left to fight Azula, Zuko told me about how Uncle said that _he_ needs to be the Fire Lord because he has a pure heart. I was really happy for him but it's weird for me to imagine myself being with the _Fire Lord_. I know he's not his father but it's still just so strange. I didn't say anything to him, of course, since it would probably really hurt his feelings.

He asked me to move to Capital City and be with him and I told him I'd think about it but, to be honest, I'm not sure if I want to. My home is in Ba Sing Se.

I don't know what to do. I love him but I can't just abandon everything I have here - my duties to the Earth Kingdom, the people whom I have come to call my family, and my Dad. Dad and I are supposed to start a new life in Ba Sing Se. We're thinking of building a house outside of the outer wall where we can live peacefully. And I hope to be able to rejoin the army and help with the restoration of the city.

Walking through the streets in Capital City brings back so many memories, distant memories of my life before Mom died. I know things are different now but some things are still the same.

We walk past the house that we used to live in and I can't stop thinking about Mom. The market where we used to shop is still there and the walk to the palace is so familiar.

Mom used to let me walk with Dad sometimes when he went to work in the mornings. I remember how I used to beg her because I thought Dad was the coolest admiral ever! Then she would reluctantly let me go with. She came too, of course, so that I didn't have to walk back by myself but on the way back, she wouldn't talk to me. One time she said something about how war hurts people and how she wished that Dad didn't have to contribute to that. I didn't understand then but I _certainly_ do now.

Thinking about Mom hurts so much. And I can tell by Dad's silence that he is probably thinking about her too.

We enter the palace gates and pass the school inside. Teacher Lu Ten used to teach me firebending here.

Sigh, I_ can't_ do it.

I can't move to this city. There are just too many memories here; too many memories that remind me of the people that I've lost. The pain is too much to bear. I can't imagine having to live here and think about them _every day_.

Dad and I part ways as I head to Zuko's room where he is resting. Katara says that he was hurt pretty bad but is going to be fine. I'm so glad that she was able to heal him. Dad is right, waterbending is so cool!

I get to his room and the guard lets me inside. He's sitting on a bench on his balcony that overlooks the city.

"Hi, Zee," I say as I sit down beside him.

"You made it!" He smiles and then kisses me. I kiss him back for a bit but then pull away.

I _can't_ do this.

**Zuko**

We sit for a while, looking out at the city. I smile at her but she seems lost in her own thoughts.

"Zuko, you know that I love you, right?" she asks after a few minutes.

What a strange question. Of_ course_ I know she loves me.

"Yeah..." I reply, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, then I hope you won't be mad at me." What is she talking about? How could I possibly be mad at her?!

"Is something wrong, Sunny?"

"Well... yes. I..." she starts but then hesitates. She's doesn't usually have trouble expressing herself. I wonder what's bothering her? It must be serious. "I can't do this," she finally says.

"Can't do what?" I'm confused.

"I can't be here."

"What do you mean you can't be here, you _are_ here!" I'm pretty sure I'm not just imagining her sitting next to me. I laugh a little and then hug her. "What's wrong Sunshine?" She's going to have to be a bit more specific about what's going on.

"I can't move here to Capital City and I can't be with you."

I freeze and feel the color drain from my face. What does she mean she can't be with me?!

"When you first told me that you were going to be the Fire Lord, I thought that maybe I could come and be with you here. But, the more I thought about it the more I realized that I can't. And... coming here today, it's even more clear to me that there is _no way_ I could live here. Not even if it's with you. My home is in Ba Sing Se and my duty, _my_ destiny, is to help rebuild it. Plus, there are just too many things here that remind me of my Mom and..."

"Sunny... I..." I want to tell her that I need her and beg her to stay here with me but I can't. I can't bring myself to ask her to do it for me because I think that if I did beg, she might actually agree. And I can't ask her to give up her dreams and _her_ destiny just so that I could have her around to help me with mine. I love her too much to even _ask_ her to do that. "I understand."

I guess it was selfish of me to expect her to just leave her entire life and come live with me here in the Fire Nation. But, I just want her to be close to me. I know that with her by my side, I'll have the strength I need to make the right decisions during this critical time. Plus, she's smart enough and compassionate enough to help advise me when I'm not sure what to do (and I'm sure there will be times when I'm not sure what to do).

"You do?!" She seemed a bit surprised by my answer. Though, the relief in her eyes makes it pretty clear that she certainly isn't disappointed by it.

I nod and then take her hand in mine. We sit in silence for a while and I look out at the city, _my city_.

"I used to live right there," she points at a house a few blocks away. "And I went to school there, and used to go grocery shopping with my Mom there, and Dad's favorite place to play Pai Sho is there." She points out all the different places that she remembers from her childhood.

She tells me about her Mom and her Dad and about her crush on Lu Ten. I can't believe she had crush on my cousin!

I tell her about _my_ childhood and how Azula and her friends would always pick on me; about how I felt like my father never really loved me; and about how my mother was the only person, besides her and Uncle, who ever really made me feel accepted and loved.

"What happened to your mother, Zee?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure." I wish I knew. Based on what father told me the day I confronted him in his bunker, I think she might still be alive. "But, I _will_ find out." I think about my mother for a while. "You know, you kind of remind me of her."

"Me? _I_ remind you of your mother?" She looks a little confused.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't mean it in a weird way or anything, just that you're understanding and kind like her. And that I know you would always be there for me and that you would always believe in me no matter what - just like she did."

"Oh," she replies. "I wish I could stay here and be with you Zuko." She looks up at me, her eyes filled with sadness. I wish I could make it disappear but I know there's nothing I can do. It's not like I can abandon my duties here and move to Ba Sing Se to be with her (though I sort of wish I could).

"I know," I say and hold her close. "I wish you could too, Sunshine."

I look out at the city again, thinking about what an amazing Fire Lady she'd make.

We sit a while longer and watch as the sun sets.

"I love you," I whisper and then kiss her on the forehead.

I know she hears me but she doesn't say it back. Instead, she gets up. I stand and look at her, perhaps for the last time.

"Goodbye, Zuko." She looks at me one last time then lets go of my hand and leaves.

I linger, thinking about her sitting here with me hand-in-hand. It was all just a dream; a really nice, beautiful, dream that had now come to an end.

Ba Sing Se, I think to myself - you've stolen my _Sunshine_.


	15. Part 2: Ch 1: Stay

**PART II: THE FIRE LORD AND THE AMBASSADOR**

* * *

_Inspired by Part 1 and 2 of the comic series - The Promise._

_Recap of the comic in case you didn't read it or forgot: Zuko is having a hard time sleeping because of all the pressures of being Fire Lord and the fact that people who are still loyal to his father are trying to assassinate him. He doesn't talk to anyone about his issues and doesn't want to bother Uncle in Ba Sing Se. So, he begins to visit his father in prison for advice. Mai finds out from Suki, who is now Zuko's personal body guard, and breaks up with him._

_Zuko, the Earth King, and Aang have been working on something called the 'Harmony Restoration Movement' where they are moving Fire Nation citizens out of the colonies in attempt to restore them and such. It goes well for many of the colonies but there is a lot of tension about one city in particular - Yu Dao, the oldest Fire Nation colony (about 100 years or something)._

_Tensions get so bad that Zuko thinks about bringing out the scary flaming Fire Nation military and standing up for his peoples._

* * *

**Sunny**

It's been a little over a year since the war had ended. Dad and I finished building our house outside of Ba Sing Se but he recently decided to travel to the North Pole and spend some time learning about waterbending. He promised to come visit once a month so I was ordered not to replace his room with a study or something and was put in charge of caring for the garden that he had so diligently planted.

The Earth King had decided, probably with some persuasion from my 'father' General How, to put me in charge of rebuilding the city. I was thrilled! I spent the past year working with government officials here on construction projects to rebuild homes, educational programs to teach people about the truth, and cultural diversion programs to help our citizens learn to live peacefully with firebenders. Uncle Iroh says that I am the perfect person for the job since I am fully aware of the truth but am not biased against one nation or for the other.

Speaking of Uncle Iroh, I have to remember to visit him this week. He sure was pissed when I didn't show up last Thursday! I make it a point to go see Uncle at least once a week when I'm in the city. Not that it's difficult for me to show up. I mean, he _does_ make the best tea in town and he gives some pretty good advice too. To be honest, I don't think I would have been able to be so successful at helping to rebuild Ba Sing Se if it weren't for Uncle, Dad, and General How's support and advice. I'm grateful to have such wise old people to talk to when I'm unsure of what to do.

A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. I get up and open it.

"Suki, what are you doing here?" I haven't seen Suki in weeks and it's not like her to come visit me in Ba Sing Se unannounced. "Is something wrong?"

"Hey Sunny. Sorry for dropping by without notice but we have a problem. I think Zuko's going crazy," Suki says as she comes in. She sits at the table and I fetch her a hot cup of tea.

"Oh," I say, acknowledging what she just told me and waiting for her to get to her point. I haven't spoken to Zuko in over a year so I'm sure she didn't come all the way over here just to tell me about his psychological state. Since the war ended, Suki and I have become pretty good friends. We mostly see each other when she comes to Ba Sing Se for business and she has been keeping me updated on how things are going in the Fire Nation. I can't imagine how hard it's been for Zuko. It must be difficult for him to be making all these decisions by himself but I think he's been doing a pretty good job from what I hear.

"And I think the situation in Yu Dao is about to start another war," she continues.

"Well, I know the people of Yu Dao aren't happy about the 'Harmony Restoration Movement' but a war? I can't imagine that Zuko or Earth King Kuei would actually go to war over it."

"Yes, I know it's hard to believe. And I don't know about the Earth King but Zuko's been very unstable lately and... I even caught him visiting his father last night! Sunny... do you think you could..." she doesn't have to finish her sentence for me to know what she's going to ask. But what makes her think he'd listen to _me_? "I mean, can you come and try to talk some sense into him?"

"I would but I doubt it would make a difference." And I would also very much prefer not to, I add to myself.

"Okay, well if you come and it doesn't work then at least you would have given it a try, no? I don't know who else to ask Sunny. He won't listen to _anyone_," Suki pleads.

I think about it for a moment and touch the necklace he gave me over a year ago. I guess Suki wouldn't have come all the way over here if she didn't think she _had_ to.

"I suppose it's worth a try," I agree reluctantly.

She thanks me and gives me the information I need to find him. Apparently he's been moved to a high security tower in the palace. I pack my things and leave immediately. If I head out now, I should be able to make it there by tonight.

When I arrive, I think about sneaking into the tower but I'm sure it would be weird for me to just pop in on the Fire Lord so I present myself to the guard instead.

"Please, state your business here, ma'am," he says when he sees me.

"I'm here to speak with Fire Lord Zuko," I reply respectfully.

"I'm sorry but the Fire Lord has stated that he will see _no one_."

"Please, I only need a few moments." I try to reason with the guard. "Could you please just let him know that Sunny is here and ask him if I can have a word with him? If _he_ says no, then I'll leave." I didn't come all the way over here just so that Zuko's guard can tell me that I can't speak with him. I think that he should at least know that I came (though he probably wouldn't care anyways).

"Ma'am, no is no. Now please leave or we will have to enforce your removal."

_Enforce my removal_? Is that a threat?! Wow, these guards are funny! Maybe I should have just snuck in.

"Sir, what is your name?" I ask.

"General Mak, ma'am. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering so I can make sure the Fire Lord knows who didn't let me in. I'm sure he would be _extremely_ pleased when he finds out tomorrow," I say as a final attempt to get him to budge. I wonder if he can tell that I'm bluffing?

"Um... ma'am, I'm sorry but I can't disturb him. I _will_ personally give him whatever message you'd like though."

"Ugh, there is no message! I just want to talk to _him_. Please, is Suki around?" This guy _clearly_ isn't going to be of any help.

He nods and then goes inside to get her. They seem to be arguing about something as they walk out together.

"Sunny!" Suki says when she sees me. "Thanks for coming. I didn't expect you to present yourself to the guards. I'll let Zuko know you're here."

**Zuko**

I _need _to defend my people. Ever since I've become the Fire Lord, my people have been complaining about how I'm neglecting them. And I think that maybe I am. They all compare me to my father and say how _he_ would never neglect his people. But I'm not my father! And I can't believe how loyal people are to him despite all the pain and destruction he's caused.

Though I guess the people of the Fire Nation don't really understand how bad it was out _there_.

But the people of Yu Dao seem to be happy.

Ugh, I'm so confused. It's like everyone wants me to do the right thing and make the right decision but what the 'right decision' is is different for everyone! The Earth King and Aang think that we should move forward with the 'Harmony Restoration Movement' but the people of Yu Dao certainly don't. I wish I could talk to someone who would understand, someone who could help me.

Someone besides my father.

I know that going to war is something my father would do but I feel like I have no choice! I don't think it's right to just force people out of their homes. Plus, how am I supposed to separate Fire Nation citizens who are married to earthbenders? Am I going to tear their families apart or move their earthbending children back here too?! Obviously not.

That wouldn't make any sense. I _have_ to go to war!

Ugh, and Mai, she's no help at all! Doesn't she understand I'm under a lot of pressure here!? I wish I could-

A knock on the door disturbs my thoughts.

"WHAT?!" I scream. I've been so sleep deprived that I haven't been able to control my temper. I don't like being disturbed when I'm thinking!

"Zuko, it's me," Suki says as she comes in.

"What is it Suki?" I ask, trying to remain calm.

"Well... um, Sunny is here and she wants to talk to you. Can I send her in? She says it should only take a few minutes."

Sunny?! It's been over a year since I've seen or talked to Sunny. A lot has changed since then and I bet she came here to try and convince me not to war with her nation! I won't hear it!

But... I wonder how she's doing?

"Fine," I agree reluctantly and then turn and look out the window.

I think about her for a moment. It feels like a lifetime ago when we were in Ba Sing Se together, when we were at the camp together on the day the war ended, and when we sat together on my balcony the day before my coronation.

"Zee?" I hear her voice call out from behind me.

Her voice is so sweet, so gentle, that I feel the tension inside of me loosen when I hear it. I continue to look out the window, afraid to turn around and look at her. What if I snap and yell at her like I yelled at Mai yesterday?

I hear her walk towards me until she is standing directly behind me. I can feel her there but I still do not turn around. She's silent. I hold my breath and try to calm my rapidly beating heart. Why is my heart beating so fast? Ugh, it's probably because I'm so angry and tense. But... I don't feel angry or tense anymore. Just confused. Maybe I should turn around and talk to her. But I don't know what I'd say. Maybe I'll just ask her what she's doing here. Right, that's a good start.

I decide to turn around and confront her but, before I do, she hugs me.

Her hug is so comforting that I feel all my stress and confusion melt away as she hugs me.

"Sunny, why didn't you come sooner?!" I know my question doesn't make any sense since it's not like I asked her to come or anything but I just wish she had come earlier; before I started visiting my father; before I became _so_ confused.

Though, logically, her coming here any sooner would have probably started a crazy fight with Mai.

"I heard you haven't been doing too well and I came as fast as I could," she replies. She seems to not notice the strangeness of my question. I turn around and look at her. She looks up at me with a sort of disgusted look on her face.

"You look horrible!" she says.

"Geez, thanks."

She laughs and then gently touches my face. "I mean, you haven't slept in a while, huh?"

"Yeah, well, I've had a lot on my mind." I look away from her, avoiding her gaze and suppressing my desire to kiss her.

"So I've heard. A war, right?"

"Yeah... well, not exactly, but..." Okay, here it comes. I'm going to get a big lecture about how war is exactly what my father would do and how I should probably stop talking to him because he's putting evil thoughts into my head. Blah blah blah.

"Well, if that's what you think is right, then I'm sure you have good reasons."

"What?!" I didn't expect her to actually trust my decision. "Didn't Suki or someone ask you to come here to try and convince me not to do it?"

"Yeah. But I know you wouldn't choose to go to war if you didn't feel like you absolutely _had_ to."

Does she really believe that?

"Well, I _do._" I explain to her how the earthbenders and firebenders have lived side-by-side in Yu Dao for generations and how I couldn't go along with forcing the Fire Nation citizens to leave their homes and how, in some cases, I wouldn't even be able to distinguish who should come and who should stay. "It's not like I want to go to war but I _have_ to stand up for my people!"

**Sunny**

He spoke with such conviction that I knew he really feels like this is the only way to help his people. I don't like the idea of another war but, I have to admit, it makes sense.

"Well, I think you're doing a really good job, Zuko," I say in an attempt to encourage him.

"Right. You're probably the _only_ one who thinks so!"

He seems so upset at himself and so... tired.

"I'm sure that's not true, Zee. I'm sure at least the people of Yu Dao think so too. I mean, being a firebender in the Earth Kingdom, I understand their desire not to leave their homes. I mean, I know for sure _I_ wouldn't... I mean, _didn't_ I guess..." I think back about that day we watched the sunset together from his balcony and, for the first time, wished that maybe I _did._

I look up at him and shake that thought from my head. By the looks of it, he seems pretty calm now. I guess I've successfully accomplished what I came here to do. Though, I didn't actually come here to comfort him... it's just when I saw how horrible he looks, I couldn't help myself. I wish he would talk to someone, that he'd find some good advisers perhaps.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," I suggest so I can get out of here before I start thinking more crazy thoughts.

He agrees and then gets into his bed.

"Goodnight, Zee." I smile at him and then turn to leave. I walk to the door and reach to open it when I hear him call out to me.

"Sunny?"

"Yes?" I turn back around and wait for him to continue.

"Do you think you could stay?" What?! He's crazy right? "Just for a little bit."

"Zuko, I don't think that's a good idea," I say as gently as I possible can though it's actually more like I _know_ it's a one hundred percent horrible idea!

"I know. I won't... I just... I think it might help me get some sleep..."

He looks so exhausted and desperate that I think that maybe I _should _stay.

"Okay," I relent. "But only for a bit."

I take a shower and put on one of his robes. Then, I get into his bed and let him hold me until he falls asleep. As soon as he's sound asleep, I get up and draft him a note before I change back into my clothes and leave.

* * *

_Further inspiration for this chapter comes from the lyrics of the song 'Stay' by Rihanna:_

_Not really sure how to feel about it._  
_Something in the way you move_  
_Makes me feel like I can't live without you._  
_It takes me all the way._  
_I want you to stay_


	16. Part 2: Ch 2: The Ambassador

___Inspired by Part 3 of the comic series - The Promise._

_Recap of the comic in case you didn't read it: Zuko and Earth King Kuei go to war over Yu Dao. They begin to fight but the peace loving Avatar and the gAang stop the war. Zuko almost falls into a crack in the ground but then Aang saves him. Then he passes out from exhaustion and wakes up at Uncle Iroh's tea shop._

_The 'Harmony Restoration Movement' in Yu Dao is canceled and everyone (including Zuko) realizes that Zuko was right that they can't just move all the Fire Nation citizens out of Yu Dao like they did with the other colonies because Yu Dao has been a Fire Nation colony for like 100 years (a bit like HK I guess). Anyways, they decide to have a meeting with the Earth King to discuss Yu Dao's future (I think it eventually becomes Republic City in Korra)._

_The comic doesn't go into what happens at the meeting but it's assumed things go well considering the whole Yu Dao = Republic City thing._

* * *

**Zuko**

Since the 'Harmony Restoration Movement' didn't work out so well at Yu Dao, Aang and I are meeting with the Earth King and some representatives from the city to try and figure out a different approach for Yu Dao. Basically, unlike the other Fire Nation colonies, the Fire Nation citizens will not be moved from Yu Dao or any of the remaining colonies. However, there still needs to be some policy changes and perhaps some programs and reforms that need to take place as we transition it from a Fire Nation colony to a new type of city. A joint city perhaps.

We talk a bit about the new taxation and government structure of the cities and decide that they will be split evenly between the two nations indefinitely. They will truly be cities that unite both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. But, since this has never been done before, it will take a significant amount of involvement from both sides.

"I vow to be there personally to ensure the successful transformation of Yu Dao as the first of a number of cities that will truly help to unite our nations," I say to reassure the committee of my commitment to the project.

"But, you're the Fire Lord. Are you sure you will have enough time to truly devote yourself to Yu Dao?" The Earth King asks.

"You know, he makes a good point, Zuko," Aang says. "It's not like Earth King Kuei is going to personally devote _himself_ to Yu Dao."

Why is Aang taking _his_ side?

"That's right. I'll be sending a few of the Earth Kingdom's best officials there to help with the reform. Perhaps you may want to do the same, Fire Lord Zuko."

Well, I'm not surprised that _he's_ suggesting I send other people to do the job. He rarely does anything himself! Okay, that's probably not fair to say, though it's true. Maybe he actually has a point. My people have been complaining about me neglecting them and personally going to Yu Dao probably isn't going to help. Perhaps he's right that I don't have the time to fully dedicate myself to both Yu Dao _and_ the Fire Nation.

"Okay, I guess I'll put together a group from the Fire Nation," I agree reluctantly.

"That's great, Zuko!" Aang says.

"You know, your committees and groups of experts are great and all but what I think what we _really_ need is an Ambassador between the two nations. Someone who could actually dedicate _all_ of their time to the relationship between them," the Mayor of Yu Dao suggests.

"You know, you make a really good point Mayor," the Earth King says. "But where would we find someone who could do that? Perhaps you?"

Really Earth King? You don't think _I_ have the time to dedicate to Yu Dao but you think the Mayor of Yu Dao has the time to dedicate himself fully to the relations between the two kingdoms?! Ugh.

They go into a long debate about who they think should be the Ambassador. Blah blah blah. Some people suggest that maybe Aang can be the Ambassador. But they scratch that idea since he's the Avatar and his job is to maintain peace among _all_ the nations. Not just two of them.

The debate continues on and on but they get no where.

They do however come up with a list of qualities the Ambassador should have. The committee has decided that we need someone who: understands government policies, understands the key issues of the war and what had happened, is not biased against the Fire Nation or for the Earth Kingdom, and who is preferably highly trained in combat since he (or she) may need to defend himself.

They decide that since I'm the Fire Lord, I should choose an Ambassador (though I think it's more like they don't have a clue where to start so they are pushing the responsibility on me) and, with the approval of the Avatar and the Earth King, whoever I choose will become the Fire Nation Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom.

I guess I need to start thinking about some good candidates. Suki maybe? She's from the Earth Kingdom but works for the Fire Nation. But then again she and the Kyoshi warriors make pretty good body guards so maybe not. I can't seem to think of anyone else off the top of my head.

The list is pretty short I guess...

After the meeting is done, Aang and I head over to Uncle's to have some tea. Aang tells him all about our meeting today and how we are now looking for candidates for the Ambassador.

"What about Sunny?" Uncle suggests.

"Who's Sunny?"

"Oh... umm, ask Zuko," Uncle says and then goes to grab another pot of tea.

Wow, thanks Uncle.

How do I explain who Sunny is to Aang? Should I tell him the truth and say that she's the love of my life who decided that she loves Ba Sing Se more than she loves me? Eh, that's probably not a great answer.

"She's an old friend of mine?" I say awkwardly.

"Hmm, is she familiar with government policy, unbiased, and a super crazy good earthbender?" Aang asks.

"Yes!" Uncle replies. "Well, she's not an earthbender but she's been in charge of rebuilding and reforming Ba Sing Se for the past year now. And, I have to say, she's done a pretty good job."

"Well then she sounds perfect!" As usual, he's thrilled.

"She is," I say before I can stop myself from saying it. "I mean, it does sound like she's a good fit for the job. Except I highly doubt she'd take it."

"Why not?"

"Well..." I start to explain but then don't really want to get into all the details with Aang. Considering she turned me down last time I asked her to move to the Fire Nation, I highly doubt that she'd just randomly agree to do it now. "I just don't think she would want to move to the Fire Nation."

"It's not like she actually has to really move there. She'd probably be spending a lot of her time in the Earth Kingdom if she becomes the Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom, no?"

Aang has a point.

"I don't know," I reply.

"Why don't you ask her?" Uncle suggests. Thanks a lot Uncle! You just have the most _brilliant_ suggestions today huh?! "She lives right outside the outer wall. It's a pretty short ride from here. I'm sure you can stay there for the night and then ask her in the morning."

"That's a great idea!" Aang says and then grabs me and gets on Appa (_Author's note: I LOVE Appa!)_.

We arrive at Sunny's place after a short ride on Appa and Aang knocks on the door.

"Don't you think it's a little late to be showing up at people's houses?" I ask.

The door opens and Aang pushes me in front of him.

"Zuko!" she says as she opens the door. "I mean... hello, Fire Lord Zuko," she corrects herself.

Ugh, I hate it when she calls me 'Fire Lord,' it's so formal and awkward. Though, come to think of it, this may be the first time she has ever called me 'Fire Lord' Zuko. It's _weird_.

"Hey, Sunny..." I say, not sure how to respond. I swallow hard and think about what to say to her next. She looks so cute in her robe and slippers that I don't remember what we came here for.

"Can we come in?" I hear Aang ask from behind me.

"Umm... sure," she agrees reluctantly and then opens the door to let us in.

**Sunny**

"The Avatar!" I observe, seeing the arrow on his head as he comes in.

I can't believe the Avatar is here in my house. This is so cool!

"Yup, that's me. But you can call me Aang. Zuko tells me you're an old friend of his?"

He and Zuko sit down at the table. And I go and grab some tea. Good thing I made a whole pot though I wasn't expecting any company.

"Yeah, we met here in Ba Sing Se," I say nonchalantly as I hand Aang and Zuko some tea.

"Oh, then I guess you wouldn't mind if we crash here for the night then?" Okay, this is weird. Why does the Avatar and the Fire Lord want to crash at _my_ place for the night? I'm sure they have plenty of other places in Ba Sing Se that they could stay. Like, the Earth King's palace or Uncle Iroh's for example.

"I guess that would be fine... there's the guest room upstairs and I suppose one of you can take Dad's room too. He's out of town for a while," I say, pointing to the rooms upstairs.

I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind.

"Great! I guess it's settled then. I'm beat," he says and then picks up his things and goes upstairs.

I show him where the towels and the bathroom are so he can wash up for the night. He hops in the shower and I go back downstairs where Zuko is.

"Not bad, Sunny," he says as he takes a sip of my tea. "You must be spending a lot of time with Uncle, huh?"

His casualness makes me smile. We haven't seen each other in over a year (besides when I went to talk to him when he was going crazy but I don't think that really counts since he was really out of it then) but it's as if I saw him yesterday.

"Thanks. I see him about once a week actually."

"Lucky. Is he still kicking your butt in Pai Sho?" he asks jokingly.

I laugh and look up at him. I feel my face turn red when I see him smiling back at me. I wish I could tell him how much I missed him this past year and how much I wish I could have been there for him. I can tell by the aging in his face that he's been under a lot of stress. Though, he looks more mature now, which I _really_ like.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to beat him!" I say, ignoring my desire to kiss him.

We talk for a while about my life here - the building of this house, my Dad's gardening, and my work.

"I'm just so honored to have had the opportunity to take part in the restoration and transformation of Ba Sing Se you know. I feel like I've learned so much this past year, thanks to Uncle and others of course, and I'm excited about what's next. Earth King Kuei had mentioned something about helping out with Yu Dao. I think that would be interesting."

I'm not sure why I'm telling him but I just feel like I want to tell him everything about my life and hear everything about his.

"That's really great Sunny. I'm glad you're happy and I hear you've done a really good job here in Ba Sing Se."

"Well, to be honest, I don't think I would have been able to make the right decisions, or to be as confident as I am in my work, if I didn't have some amazing advisers like Uncle, my Dad, and General How. Old people give some pretty good advice you know? Well, once you figure out what they're saying that is."

He laughs.

"I wish I had some good advisers too," he says. He tells me about his experiences and how different they were from mine; about how he almost went crazy trying to figure out what's right and what's wrong only to realize that his heart was right all along.

"Yeah, sometimes we spend all this time logically breaking down each and every potential consequence of all the options that it gets to a point where reason goes out to door and we drive ourselves mad. It's not worth it."

He agrees.

**Zuko**

It's so nice to talk to someone who actually understands me for a change. Talking to her makes me miss her so much even though she's right in front of me. I just wish I could talk to her more often. I think about how things would have been different if she had stayed in Capital City with me; how much better it would be for me to have had her by my side.

But then, I think about all the things that she would have missed if she did. I guess it's better this way, at least for her. She seems so happy here. I just miss having my best friend.

I get up to kiss her but am interrupted by Aang before I get anywhere near her.

"I'm all done! Your turn Zuko," he says and then hands me a fresh towel.

I go upstairs to take a shower but I can't seem to figure out how to turn on the hot water. I go back downstairs to ask but, half way down the stairs, I hear them talking about me. I stop to listen.

"You and Zuko were pretty good friends, huh?"

"Yeah, you could say that," she replies. "In Ba Sing Se, we were like best friends but it's been a long time since then..." Her voice trails off and they are silent for a while.

"Oh..." Aang says and then hesitates as if he's thinking about something. "You love him don't you?" What?! Why is Aang asking her questions like that?

She doesn't respond (good, she shouldn't!).

"I can tell by the sadness in your eyes when you talk about him. Maybe you should just tell him how you feel?" he suggests.

There he goes again, giving out his Avatar advice to whoever he can force to listen to him. Ugh, I wish he'd just stay out of our relationship. It's more complicated than he'd understand!

"Yeah... thanks Aang," she replies. "I _do_ love him. But it's complicated."

She does? I love her too but it's not like Aang and Katara who can be all lovey-dovey and perfect all the time. We both have some serious issues. _I_ have some serious issues (though she does too of course). And it's not like we can be together with her here in a Ba Sing Se and me being the Fire Lord and whatnot.

I go back upstairs and decide to firebend my water hot instead of asking for instructions. Maybe that's how this thing was designed? I mean, two firebenders did build this house. Though, that would be kind of ridiculous.

I come out of the shower and find that neither of them are downstairs. I walk towards my room but notice that her light is still on. The door is cracked so I slowly push it open.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure," I hear her voice reply from the other side of the door.

I slip into the room and close the door behind me. Her room is minimally decorated with her dual dao swords hanging above the fireplace. She also has a ton of books and a huge desk with a couple stacks of papers and an old picture of her family on it.

"Do you mind if I sleep here for the night?" I ask before I can stop myself from asking.

Ugh, I'm so stupid! Why am I asking to sleep here? I can't believe myself! I'm sure she's going to kick me out but she doesn't.

"Sure," she says and then moves over to make space for me.

She puts down her book as I get into bed. I imagine for a moment that this is actually my house where I live with my beautiful, sweet, wife.

"Ran, huh?" I ask noticing the blue dragon she's hugging.

"Yeah," she says softly as she looks up at me.

Her eyes are as beautiful as the first time I looked into them a lifetime ago in Ba Sing Se.

"I met her you know?" I ask, implying that I had figured out when I got to the Sun Warrior's ancient city that she had spent three years of her life there when she was young.

I can't believe she didn't tell me there were still dragons left in this world! Though, I guess it makes sense since they are a secret.

She ignores my question and presses up against me instead. I hold her tightly in my arms and then kiss her goodnight. I never thought that I would hold her again.


	17. Part 2: Ch 3: Return to the Fire Nation

**Sunny**

"Good morning, Sunshine," Zuko says as I open my eyes.

I look up at him, propped up on his side, next to me staring at me. He smiles softly at me and then kisses me on the forehead.

"Morning Zee," I reply, a bit confused.

I think for a moment that I'm dreaming but then I remember that Aang and Zuko had showed up last night because they needed a place to crash.

"Have you been up a long time?" It's kind of weird to wake up next to him, though it's nice.

"Yeah, I've been watching you sleep for hours." What a creeper! "I'm kidding of course. Just got up," he adds with the cutest mischievous smile ever.

"Oh, thought you were a total creep for a moment there!"

We laugh and then lay in bed for a while next to each other. I look over at him and then get up out of bed. This is all like some kind of beautiful dream that I've had a hundred times before. In the past year, I've imagined waking up next to Zuko so many times and I've wished, like a million times, that he didn't have to be the Fire Lord and that we actually lived here in Ba Sing Se together instead. Life would be so different, so simple. I let myself indulge in that thought for a moment though I know it isn't real.

He _is_ the Fire Lord and he and Aang probably came here for some Fire Lord-y reason.

We go downstairs and he helps me put some tea on the stove as I go to the back to feed the dog-horses.

"Ahhh!" I scream when I see a giant sky bison in my backyard.

Zuko runs out.

"What's wrong?!" he asks, looking around for what may have scared me.

"This thing is _huge_!"

He laughs and then feeds the sky bison some lettuce.

"Oh, he's harmless."

"I know, I just didn't expect to find a giant sky bison in my backyard," I say as I pet the bison. "He's really cute."

"Yeah, his name's Appa. He's slower than you'd imagine," he says jokingly (though not really).

He helps me finish up my tasks outside and then asks if I'd mind doing some morning training with him.

"Sure," I say. "Come to think of it, I don't think we ever actually practiced firebending together."

"True, if you don't count that time you almost burned my head off at that camp I guess," he replies with a smirk.

"Oh right, I totally forgot about that. I'm sorry..." I touch the necklace he gave me over a year ago and think back about all the time we shared together in Ba Sing Se

"That's okay, I'll get you back," he says, breaking me out of my daydreams. He takes his stance.

We duel for a while. He's good (and should be I guess since he is the Fire Lord and all)! Our styles are pretty similar considering we sort of switched masters after we met. He implied last night that he had met Ran and Shaw and I have been training with Uncle Iroh and my Dad since I moved back here to Ba Sing Se.

"It's nice to duel someone who doesn't go easy on me," he says when we are done. "No one back home gives it their all when we practice together so it's hard to get better when everyone just lets you have the upper hand."

"Oh the woes of being Fire Lord!" I say sarcastically. "Maybe you are actually just that much better than them."

He laughs though it's probably true. I'm sure he's much better than a lot of firebenders back home. I mean, not too many people have been taught by the masters - Ran and Shaw - themselves. He must have passed their judgement since he's clearly still alive though I, on the other hand, just sort of skipped that part.

When I first arrived at the Sun Warrior's ancient city, Ran would sit outside my cave at night when I would cry myself to sleep. And, after a while, she even let me ride on her back like people used to before the Fire Nation practically wiped them all out. If it wasn't for her, I'm not sure I would have ever been able to come to terms with my Mom's death.

I think back about Ran and her magnificence and beauty. Maybe one day she'd let me take Zuko on a ride. I think he'd really like that though I'm not sure if we'll ever actually get a chance to go back there together.

"So, what did you _really_ come here for, Zee?" I ask as we go back inside to prepare breakfast.

He helps serve the tea and I steam some bat-sheep vegetable buns.

"I know you didn't come here just to spend the night and then duel me in the morning."

"Why not?" he says keeping a serious face though I know he's kidding.

I roll my eyes and tend to the buns.

"Fine, you're right, I have something to ask you."

"Okay, what is it?" I ask. "You know you can ask me anything."

**Zuko**

"You know how, when you came to visit me last time, you left that note saying if I needed _anything_ I'd know where to find you? Well, I sort of need something now."

"What is it?" she asks.

"Well, Aang and I were at a meeting with the Earth King and some representatives from Yu Dao yesterday and we decided that we need to find someone to be the Fire Nation Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom."

"Oh," she replies. I can tell by her reluctance that she understands where I'm going with this but doesn't seem all too excited about it.

"And Uncle thinks you're the perfect person for the job."

She doesn't reply though she looks like she may be considering it.

"And...?" she says after a while.

"And what?" Is it just me or does her response not make any sense? Why are women so confusing?!

"And, what do _you_ think, Zuko?"

Hmm, I didn't really expect her to ask me that. I think about it for a while and conclude that Uncle's right (though, he is usually right I guess).

"Well, I think so too and I really mean it, Sunny. But... it does entail you having to move to the Fire Nation for at least _part_ of the time," I say hoping that the 'part of the time' part would help persuade her that it's not going to be nearly as bad as she thinks it might be. "I mean, you did say yesterday that your work here in Ba Sing Se is pretty much done, right? I honestly think this would be a good fit for you."

"I guess..." she replies hesitantly.

"Sunny, I know how you feel about moving to Capital City but our people need you. _I_ need you."

And I really _do_ need her. After a whole year of being away from her, I realize that without her I can get pretty crazy. Though, it's not like just because I'm with her everything in the world is going to be fine but it's nice to have someone to talk to about things and to know that someone believes in me even when I can't seem to find a way to believe in myself.

She thinks about it for a while and then agrees to give it a try.

I explain the position a bit more to her as we eat our breakfast. After some time, Aang wakes up and we head over to the Earth King's palace. We discuss her qualifications and present her to the Earth King who quickly approves my appointment. Apparently, he's been very happy about the work she's done here in Ba Sing Se and thinks that we couldn't have chosen a better person for the job.

Afterwards, we part ways with Aang and Sunny and I head over to see Uncle. Walking to Uncle's tea shop with her is so nostalgic. I think about how we used to work there together managing orders for Uncle. Funny how different our lives are now as the Fire Lord and the Ambassador. I look over at her and take her hand as we pass by the houses and shops that we've passed so many times before, when I used to walk her home from work.

We have some tea with Uncle and then decide to go to Koi Palace, her favorite noodle place, for dinner.

If destiny permitted, this could have been our life - a simple life in a peaceful city with Uncle. I wish for a moment that this is my life but I know that it could never be.

Sunny agrees to go back to Capital City with me where she will begin her training before she leaves on her first mission to Yu Dao. I stay with her another night to help her pack her things for the move. Tomorrow, we will return to the Fire Nation _together_.


	18. Part 2: Ch 4: Training

**Sunny**

Zuko and I wake up early in the morning and get on a balloon headed to Capital City. I send a messenger hawk to Dad telling him that I've decided to accept a job in the Fire Nation and will be gone for a while so he doesn't come to visit me when I'm away. Zuko sends one to one of his Generals informing him that we should be in Capital City by late afternoon.

We spend most of the time on our ride talking about work and the preparations that need to be made for me to start my new job. For formality sake, I will need to take an assessment test, some crash courses in Fire Nation history and culture, as well as some 'advanced' firebending classes. He thinks it's a waste of time but I don't mind since I haven't spent much time learning Fire Nation history when I was young and would never turn down an opportunity to improve my bending. Of course, I'll have to continue to read up on Yu Dao as well since I only have three weeks before I leave on my first assignment there.

We fly over the Earth Kingdom Canyons, the Western Mountain Range, Roku's Island, and Ember Island. Zuko tells me how he and his family used to go to Ember Island for vacation when he was young, when his Mother was still around, and promises to take me sometime. He also warns me that he's probably going to be pretty busy once we get back but promises to at least have dinner with me everyday while I'm there. I reassure him that it's fine. I know the Fire Lord isn't going to be able to spend every minute of his life looking after me.

We land in the north tower of the palace, where Zuko's private quarters are, and are greeted by a number of servants and General Mak, the guy who wouldn't let me in to see Zuko a few weeks ago.

"Welcome back, Fire Lord Zuko."

"Thanks, General. This is our new Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom, Sunny. Have you made the arrangements I've asked for?"

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sunny," he says as he shakes my hand.

I'm _sure_ he recognizes me.

"Good afternoon General," I reply, "I'm sure we've met before."

"Right," he says, briefly acknowledging my statement, and then reads off Zuko's schedule to him. "It seems you're booked for the rest of the day and are in fact late to a meeting as we speak."

"Cancel it," Zuko says as he places a hand on my back perhaps to comfort me.

"But, sir, you're supposed to meet with the Mayor to discuss the state of the city."

"Okay, then reschedule it. I'll attend the next meeting but we've just arrived so I can't go running to a meeting immediately."

"Zee," I say to him softly so that General Annoying doesn't hear me, "maybe you should just go to the meeting. I'll be fine."

"No. I'm not just going to leave you alone the moment we arrive. I know how much you would probably prefer not to be here," he whispers back.

He's right, I would really prefer not to be here but that doesn't mean he should neglect his duties as Fire Lord just because I'm feeling uncomfortable and out of place. I start to object but then decide that it's probably best that I don't argue with him in front of all these people.

"General, please just reschedule it," he says turning back towards the General who is going on about how the Mayor has been waiting for weeks to get on his schedule. "It's important for me to ensure that our new Ambassador is settled before I go off to meetings."

"Okay," he agrees reluctantly and then glares at me. Obviously, he's not pleased with me.

Ugh, I hate this place already.

"Should we take the Ambassador's things down to the guest house?" one of the servants ask.

"No, let's have her stay in Azula's room for now." They nod and then take my things. We follow them in silence until we reach the room and go inside.

"Zuko, what are you doing?" I ask when we are finally alone.

"What do you mean, Sunny?"

"I mean, why are you not attending that meeting and why am I here in Azula's room?"

He's silent for a while. I can tell by the expression on his face that he's a little annoyed by my question.

"Like I said before, I just don't want to leave you alone the moment we get here," he says. "It's like you don't even appreciate it."

"Zee, I _do_ appreciate you being here for me but you're the Fire Lord and you need to be there for your people too."

"I know..." he replies and then sits down on the bed.

I sit with him and take his hand. We sit side-by-side for a while in silence. Just sitting beside him is so comforting that I feel a little better. I lean over and rest my head on his shoulder as he holds me. He looks down at me and just as he reaches to kiss me, a knock on the door interrupts us. I get up and open it.

"Hello, Ambassador Sunny. I am Xiomara, your personal assistant," the girl at the door says. She's wearing a professional looking red dress and is holding a folder in her arms and pen in her hand. Her long black hair pulled back into a neat bun with a pretty pin in it for decoration. Looking at her makes me feel so under-dressed. And I suddenly realize I'm wearing the wrong color - green.

"Nice to meet you Xio. Please, come in." I open the door and let her in.

"Oh, the Fire Lord is here!" she says, surprised, when she sees Zuko sitting on my bed. "I guess I should come back later," she adds and then quickly turns to leave.

"That's okay, Xio. We were just talking but we're done now," I explain, signaling Zuko to get up.

"Right," he says and then gets up to leave. "I'll see you for dinner."

Xio goes over my schedule with me after Zuko leaves and then asks if there's anything she can help me with.

"Well, maybe a new wardrobe?" I say, looking down at my green dress.

I never noticed how much green I wear until I got here about twenty minutes ago.

She takes me to the royal tailor who sizes me and makes me a few new red, black, and gold dresses and robes. Hopefully, these will make me more official looking and stuff. I wish I could just skip all of this and get to the fun stuff already, like restoring cities and working on Fire Nation-Earth Kingdom relations.

I spend the rest of my day getting a tour of the palace, having my hair washed, and then getting a massage.

By the time dinner comes around, Suki shows up instead of Zuko. Apparently he is stuck in some important meeting and can't make it. I'm glad Suki is here or else I'd probably be killing myself right now (though not really of course). This place is so dreary and boring. She takes me out to the night market and we do some shopping. My Mom and Dad used to take me here for dinner sometimes when I was young. And coming back isn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be. In fact, it's actually kind of nice.

Afterwards, I return to the palace and get ready for bed. Maki and Suh, the two servants assigned to me, help me put my things away and then leave me alone for the night.

I lay in my bed and stare up at my ceiling. I can't believe I agreed to come to this place. It kind of sucks. I close my eyes to go to sleep when I feel someone climb into my bed.

"Zuko."

"I'm sorry I didn't make it to dinner, Sunshine," he says and then kisses me. "Those officials go on _forever_."

I smile at him and then bury myself his chest. A feeling of relief comes over me as he holds me tightly in his arms. I know that, considering the complete lack of privacy we have around here, it's probably not a good idea for him to be here in the middle of the night, but being in his arms is so comforting that I don't care. We talk about how our days went. I tell him about how boring mine was and he recaps some of the more interesting meetings he attended. I can't imagine being in meetings all day long, everyday.

I wake up the next morning to the sound of Xio coming into my room.

"Good morning, Sunny," she says cheerfully.

"Oh, good morning, Xio. What time is it?" I ask as I sit up to talk to her.

"About seven-thirty. Your assessment test will start at eight-thirty, ma'am. I'll wait outside until you are ready," she replies. "Oh, and General Mak is looking for the Fire Lord," she adds, noticing Zuko in bed next to me.

Oh crap, he's still here! We must have fallen asleep while talking last night.

I wake Zuko up and tell him that General Annoying is looking for him. Quickly, he gets up, kisses me goodbye, and then rushes out the door. I put on one of the red dresses the tailor made for me yesterday and head downstairs with Xio. We grab some breakfast before she takes me to the test location.

"I'll see you during your break for lunch, ma'am," she says and then leaves.

I go into the testing area and am greeted by none other than General Annoying himself.

"Good morning _Ambassador_," he says with a serious look on his face. I don't know what I did to this guy but he clearly doesn't like me. "I know you're the Fire Lord's girlfriend and all but let's see if you can actually firebend."

Geez, this guy is mean. Maybe I should call him General Meanie instead. Good thing I'm pretty secure about my firebending abilities or his comment may have really made me question myself.

"Okay, what do I have to do?"

He puts me through a series of tests - firebend this, firebend that, shoot this, shoot that, etc. etc. Afterwards, I'm put through an obstacle course where I need to firebend random things to get out.

Now that was fun!

"All done," I say when I get out of the obstacle course.

"Impressive," he replies. "I think you may have just set a new record for the fastest person ever to get through that course." He isn't nearly as mean to me now.

"Oh, who was the fastest person before?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Admiral Jeong Jeong. But that was a long time ago."

"Jeong Jeong?! That's my Dad," I say excitedly. "I can't wait to tell Dad that I beat his record!"

"Admiral Jeong Jeong is your father?" He looks a_ lot_ less annoyed about my existence now.

"Yup."

Apparently, Dad had trained this General Mak when he first joined the Fire Nation military as a cadet.

We continue on to some other boring stuff until lunch time when Xio comes back to get me.

We head over to the mess hall where most of the other military and government officials have lunch. Xio introduces me to a few other officials who all seem to be pretty standoffish but polite. I don't know how Zuko lives here. These people are so... serious and stuff. No wonder he gets crazy when he's here for too long!

"Hey, Sunny?" Xio says as we sit down to eat.

"Yeah?"

"I know it's not really my business but you should probably try to be a bit more... discreet about your relationship with the Fire Lord. People talk you know." I'm a little annoyed by the fact that she's butting into my relationship (or whatever it is) with Zuko but I know she's right.

"I'm guessing by the way they stare at me that they aren't saying nice things, huh?" I ask though I don't really want to know what they're actually saying.

"Well, no. I don't think it's true and well..." she starts but then hesitates.

"Well, what is it?" I'm kind of curious now.

"Sunny, don't be offended and please know that _I_ don't personally think this but some people are saying that the only reason you got this job is because you're sleeping with the Fire Lord." That hurt. It's not like I'm even sleeping with Zuko (though I guess in the most literal sense, I am but it's not like... you know)! I think about it a little. I mean, _I_ know it's not true but it still hurts to know people think of me like that. "A lot of pretty highly ranked officers really wanted the title I guess."

"Thanks Xio," I say after a while though I think that it may have been better if I didn't know what people are saying.

We eat in silence for a while and then she goes over my afternoon schedule with me - Fire Nation history and cultural classes and then afternoon training with other firebenders.

For the next two weeks my schedule consists of firebending and martial arts classes in the morning, lunch, Fire Nation history and cultural classes, and then afternoon training. On the weekends, I train with Suki and the Kyoshi warriors for sanity purposes. I'm so glad she and the Kyoshi warriors are here. I don't know what I'd do without them.

I tell Suki about the crap people are saying about me and she suggests that I move out of the palace. She helps me find an apartment in the same building as her and Zuko promises to help arrange for my move as soon as possible, which is probably going to be when I get back from Yu Dao.

Zuko mostly keeps his promise and has dinner with me almost every night. I told him to stop visiting me in the middle of the night though I don't think it's made too much of a difference in the dirty looks people give me throughout the day.

This place sucks.

After the first two weeks of training, I spend the entire third week preparing to go to Yu Dao. Zuko has chosen an elite team to accompany me to the city and we head out at the end of the third week.

Thank goodness, I'm sick of it here!


	19. Part 2: Ch 5: The Fire Lord's Girlfriend

_Inspired by the comic 'The Search - Part I' where Zuko goes on a quest to find his mother (with the help of Azula)_

* * *

**Sunny**

After two weeks away, a few members of the Yu Dao team and I have returned to Capital City for the first of many bi-weekly status reports. Because we are only staying for two days, my things are placed in Azula's room for convenience. I'm a little annoyed since I had told Zuko I didn't want to be staying in Azula's room but I actually don't mind too much because at least this way I don't have to go back and forth from his place to the guest house when I want to see him.

As soon as we land, the Yu Dao team members and I go immediately into a working meeting with some of Zuko's advisers to prepare the report we (or more accurately, I) will be giving him tomorrow. I remind myself to refer to him as 'Fire Lord Zuko' rather than 'Zee' the entire time. It's hard to remember sometimes that he is the Fire Lord and not just my best friend.

After the meeting, I return to my office to work on the report. It's been a long day and I can't wait to see Zuko tomorrow. I finish writing the report when I hear a knock at my door. I get up and open it.

"Fire Lord Zuko," I say when I see him standing at my door.

"Ambassador," he replies. "Can I come in?"

"Of course."

I open the door so that he can come in and then close it behind us. He asks if I had dinner yet and I haven't so he tells one of his servants to bring our dinner up.

"I promised to have dinner with you when you're around, remember?" he says when he returns.

"Right, didn't realize that was an on-going promise. Thank you, Fire Lord."

"Could you cut that out already?" he asks, annoyed.

"Cut what out?" I'm confused. "Am I doing something to annoy you, sir?"

"Ugh. You've been gone for too long, huh?"

"It's only been two weeks. Is something wrong?" He's acting strange. Though, maybe _I'm_ acting strange... Shrugs, who knows?

"No. It's just weird that my girlfriend keeps calling me 'Fire Lord' and 'sir,'" he finally says.

I laugh and then reach over and kiss him.

"I didn't realize that I'm your girlfriend," I reply. "Though, it's not like I don't want to be your girlfriend or something. I'm just not sure what we are I guess."

"Well, rumor has it we're together," he says referring to the crap that people say about me.

"I guess they can't be wrong then," I say and then kiss him again.

He smiles and kisses me back.

"I missed you, Sunshine."

"I missed you too, Zee."

We kiss for a while, until our food comes. As we eat, I tell him about Yu Dao (only the important stuff of course like the awesome metal work and delicious fusion food they have there) and working with Aang and Katara. It's cool to be able to spend time with Zuko's friends, though he claims they aren't really his friends, except maybe Aang. I suspect he's lying because he's not used to having friends but I don't say that to him of course. I'm sure, over time, he'll realize what amazing friends he has.

**Zuko**

We finish eating and I walk her back to her room (Azula's room), which is next to mine. I kiss her goodnight and then head over to my room to wash up and go to bed. I lay in bed thinking about her for some time before I decide to just get up and go over there. I sneak into Azula's room and observe that she is already in bed.

"Zee..." she says as I get into bed with her. From her tone of voice I can tell that she wants to tell me to get out of here. But she doesn't.

"I know, Sunny. I told you that I'd stop visiting you at night, but I can't help myself when you're right next door to me," I explain.

"You're the one who put me right next door!" She complains and then kisses me. Okay, is it just me or is that confusing (talk about mixed messages)! Why are women so complicated!? I kiss her back and then hold her as she sleeps. She smells so good and her skin is so soft that I want to hold her forever.

The next morning, we wake up and go straight to the Yu Dao status meeting together. She goes over the report that she and the others have put together on how the transition of the city is going. I make suggestions for improvements that they all agree will be implemented as soon as possible.

"Yu Dao is an important part of this new era of peace and, as the Fire Lord, I would like to be personally involved. I trust that you have all been doing an excellent job there but I have decided that, from now on, I will go to Yu Dao at least once a month to work with the Avatar and ensure the successful completion of the transition," I say as we conclude the meeting.

They all agree and then disperse. I think they're just really happy about how fast the meeting went. It looks like we were able to end almost an entire hour ahead of schedule. For once, we have more time than we expected!

"Good job, _Fire Lord_ Zuko," Sunny says playfully after everyone leaves. She knows how much I hate it when she calls me that but her playful face is so cute that I don't mind (this time).

"Not bad yourself, Ambassador Sunshine," I reply jokingly. _Ambassador Sunshine._ Now that's a cute name for her (_Author's Note: like a Care Bear or something_).

We spend the extra hour we found ourselves with taking a stroll in the royal garden. And it looks like I may have just found a place in the palace that she actually likes!

"Fire-lilies!" she says when we pass by the part of the garden with lilies. "They were my Mom's favorite."

"Oh," I reply. "And which are your favorite?" I ask so I can make a note to bring them for her when I go to Yu Dao to visit. She points to the dragon-rose, a beautiful yet simple flower representing love, peace, and beauty. Those were _my _mother's favorite as well. I think about my mother and where she might be.

"I wonder if I'll ever find her," I say out loud by accident.

"Find who?"

"Oh, sorry. Dragon-roses were my mother's favorite as well. I was just wondering if I'll ever find her..." I explain.

"I'm sure you will someday, Zee. I mean, I found my Dad after almost ten years of being apart. I'm sure you can find your mother as well." Her optimism is strange but reassuring. "Have you been looking?"

"No... I guess I should. But I don't know where I'd start."

"I know it's a crazy idea but... how about your father or Azula? They might know something," she suggests.

I haven't seen my father or Azula in a long time and if that suggestion had come from anyone else besides Sunny (or maybe Uncle), I would have probably flipped out.

I look at her beautiful face and think about it for a moment.

She's right.

I think I should have a talk with my father and Azula.


	20. Part 2: Ch 6: On The Way Home

**Sunny**

I spent the past six months traveling back and forth between Yu Dao, Ba Sing Se, and Capital City, spending most of my time in Yu Dao of course. The initial phase of the transition of the city from a Fire Nation colony to a joint city between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom is complete. So, I will be returning to Capital City tomorrow to help with the annual training of the new Fire Nation Special Forces recruits. Apparently, Zuko had asked Dad to help with the training as well and, to my surprise, he agreed!

Dad and Uncle plan to travel to Capital City from Ba Sing Se tomorrow and should be arriving around the same time as I am. Uncle will be spending some time as the interim Fire Lord as Zuko goes with Aang and the gAang on a trip to find his mother. Azula has agreed to give him some information in exchange for her freedom and they plan on leaving the day after we all arrive.

I really hope that he finds his mother.

I go out to dinner with Aang and Katara for our last night together in Yu Dao and then return to my apartment to get some rest before my trip. It's weird but I'm actually kind of happy to be going 'home,' to Capital City. Though, I think it's mostly because I miss Zee so much. It's been eight or nine days since he left Yu Dao and I can't wait to see him again!

The next morning, my balloon arrives and we set out. Zuko has sent a few extra guards to accompany me in case we run into any trouble. It seems that, despite his efforts to spend more time on domestic affairs, the number of attempts to assassinate and/or to overthrow him have increased. And me being his Ambassador and his girlfriend has made me a target as well.

We fly safely over the Earth Kingdom territories but, as we enter the Fire Nation, balloons surround us and being to attack.

**Zuko**

* * *

_Zuko is in a meeting with some of his new advisers discussing 'Loyalists,' a term used for people who are seeking to overthrow him and reinstate his father as the Fire Lord._

* * *

"It seems, sir, that despite your efforts to devote more time to the Fire Nation, those loyal to your father have grown in number," Admiral Wong states. "And we-"

We all turn and look as the Admiral is interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Who would interrupt us in middle of such an important meeting? General Mak enters the room.

"Fire Lord Zuko, I'm sorry to disturb your meeting but I have urgent news."

"What is it General?" It better be important to warrant this intrusion!

"It's the Ambassador, sir. Her balloon is under attack," he states. "Shall I send reinforcements?"

"Sunny?! How many of them are there?" I know I sent some of my best guards to transport her so, if there aren't too many of them, I'm sure they will be fine.

"Six, maybe seven, if not more."

"Oh, six or seven shouldn't be a problem." I don't know why he's making such a big deal out of six or seven attackers. I'm sure Sunny could take them all herself.

"I mean six, maybe seven, balloons full, sir." Six or seven balloons full of attackers?! I begin to fear for the worse. "I'll send the reinforcements," he says, reading the concern on my face.

"I'm coming as well. We leave immediately," I say to General Mak and then turn to the committee, "I'm sorry but we will have to reconvene."

I go with the General who seems to have warmed up to Sunny a lot. I'm glad because I hate it when people treat her like the only reason she's the Ambassador is because she's my girlfriend. Though, it seems people are starting to recognize how amazing she really is.

We lead the reinforcements to the location of Sunny's attack. By the looks of it, they have taken down two or three balloons already but, being extremely outnumbered, their balloon has suffered a significant amount of damage. We attack the balloons from behind and quickly take out three of them. The remaining balloon flees and I send two of ours after it while General Mak and I continue towards Sunny's.

As we approach, I watch in horror as her balloon crashes into the side of a volcano and catches fire.

"Sunny!" I scream out to her as we land near the crash. I run as fast as I can towards the flaming balloon. "Sunny!" I look around to find the basket of the balloon in the fire. I think for a moment that the worst had happened but I don't let myself continue that thought. She's fine, I tell myself over and over again. Maybe if I keep thinking it, it would be true. I feel my heart beating uncontrollably as I frantically continue to search for her.

Sunny... please, please don't be hurt.

"Sunny?!"

No answer.

I get closer and see that she and the guards are trapped under the basket of the balloon. I crawl near it but it's engulfed in flames so I firebend the flames back until I can reach under and flip the basket off of them.

Sigh (of relief). She's safe.

"Sunny!" I say as I run over to her and hug her as tight as I possibly can in my arms. It looks like she was probably bending the flames away from them, keeping them safe under the basket.

"Zuko! That was close," she says with a smile. "Thanks for coming to get us." How could she be calm after what just happened?!

"Sunny, I thought I had lost you..." I say, relieved that it isn't true, and then kiss her. I'd probably go insane if I lost her.

"It's okay Zee. Thanks to you, we're fine," she says as she kisses me back. "But... we should probably figure out who those attackers were."

Right.

We head over to where the last balloon was force-landed on the other side of the island. The attackers have been arrested and are surrounded by guards. We push past the guards but, when I see who the attackers are, I freeze.

I stare in shock at Mai and her father and, for some reason, let go of Sunny's hand (which I have been holding tightly until now). It's probably best if I don't do anything to piss Mai off right now.

"Mai?!" I can't believe Mai would do something like this! Why would Mai, out of all people, turn on me? Was I really _that_ bad to her when we were together?!

"Actually, Mai was being held against her will, sir," Commander Song informs me. "Her father is the one who lead the attack."

I look over at Mai who avoids eye contact. She looks... upset or maybe pissed off (though I guess she usually looks that way, but more so now than usual). She must be really mad about her father... or maybe she's particularly mad because she saw me holding Sunny's hand.

"Mai, what's going on here?" I ask.

"My father was leading a group called the 'New Ozai Society' who are trying to overthrow you. When I found out, I tried to stop him."

"Are there others?" Sunny asks, oblivious of the fact that Mai probably hates her guts.

Mai ignores her.

"Mai, are there others?" I ask again.

"Probably. But I don't know anything beyond what I just told you," she says and then turns and looks away from us.

"We should interrogate the others when we return," I say to the Commander. We load the prisoners onto separate balloons and head back to Capital City. I turn and look over at Mai. She looks more sad than mad now. I think about how much happier she was when we were together (and before she found out her father is a traitor I guess). It must have been so hard for her when she found out...

"Thanks Mai," I say to her as we get into the balloon.

She doesn't respond. I guess she doesn't really feel like talking to me and I'm sure Sunny being here doesn't help either.

"Are you alright, Ambassador?" General Mak asks Sunny as they get on the balloon. Wow, he seems really concerned about her. I could have sworn he wasn't a fan before. Something must have changed. Perhaps he found out, in training her, how good of a firebender she is. I smile at the thought of Sunny bending a flaming fireball at his head.

"Yes, General. I'm fine, thanks to you and Zee," she replies and smiles at me. I smile back. I'm just so relieved that she's okay.

"Good. I wouldn't know how to explain it to your Dad when I see him if something had happened to you." Oh, I guess he knows Sunny's Dad. It seems a lot of people really respect him. I hope that bringing him back to do the Special Forces training will help with my relations with my people.

"Good thing you won't have to do that," she says happily and then looks out at the passing islands below us.

Mai and I don't say a word the entire ride back. Maybe I should talk to her? But then again, what would I say?

I look over at Sunny who seems completely oblivious of the awkwardness of this balloon ride. She must be thinking about seeing her Dad and Uncle, who should have arrived in Capital City by now. I'm really glad that she and her Dad have found each other. It seems like a lifetime ago when we were out in the Earth Kingdom countryside together looking for him. And, even though we've been back together for months now, I still can't believe that she's actually in my life again; that my best friend is here, only three feet away from me, in this very balloon.

I want to go up to her and hold her but I refrain myself because of Mai.

I think for a moment about my mother. I hope I find her and that Azula could perhaps find some peace as well. I never thought too much about how crazy Azula is until I saw her in the asylum the other day. I wonder if there's any hope for her? I'm guessing that, considering we have the same parents, she's probably really hurt inside also. Maybe I should visit her more often.

When we arrive, Uncle and Sunny's Dad greet us. Sunny and General Mak go ahead of Mai and I to talk to them.

"Are you alright, Mai?" I ask when we are alone.

"Yeah," she says avoiding my gaze.

I reach over and touch her arm but am not sure what to say next. I watch as she begins to cry.

"Mai..." I feel really bad for her. A part of me wants to hug her because I think that it would make her feel better. But... that would probably send her the wrong message. Not sure what to do, I look over at Sunny who is completely engaged in her conversation with Uncle, her Dad, and General Mak. She'd probably be really pissed off if she turned around and saw me hugging Mai, so I don't.

She's so cute when she's happy that I can't risk her being mad at me just because I feel bad for Mai.

I turn back to try and say something to comfort Mai but she's gone.

She must have seen me staring at Sunny...

**Sunny**

Zuko and I have dinner with Uncle and my Dad and then head over to see Azula. I've never met Azula and, from what Zee's told me about her, I'm not expecting her to be very nice to me or anything. We enter the asylum and go up to her room. Her room has no windows to prevent her from being able to hurt anyone with her lightning bending. When I see her, tied up in her chair, I feel so bad for her that I want to cry. Before me is one of the most beautiful and brilliant firebenders there ever were... in chains (well a straight jacket to be more accurate).

It must be so hard for Zuko to see his sister like this.

"Zu-Zu, how nice of you to come visit your sister in here," Azula says when she notices us standing there.

"Azula, we have a deal right?" he asks, confirming their agreement for her to accompany him tomorrow on his search.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she replies. "I see you brought your new girlfriend with you. What did you do with that traitor friend of mine? Leave her all sad and depressed for your pretty new girl? Oh wait, Mai was sad and depressed to begin with. Guess it's all the same."

"Mai left me, Azula."

"Oh, poor Zu-Zu. I guess you've found yourself a new toy then." Wow, she's mean. Plus, who is Mai... wait, is that the girl from this morning?!

"She's not a toy!" he screams. I know he sometimes has a temper but I've never seen him snap at anyone like that before. He's kind of scary when he's mad.

"Zee," I say to him softly. I know I shouldn't get involved but she's clearly purposely saying things to get under his skin (and mine too). "She's just saying that to piss you off. Please, just let it go."

"Whatever, I'll see you tomorrow, Azula," he says and then storms out.

"Bye bye Zu-Zu," she responds and then laughs to herself. I guess she's proud of her accomplishment - successfully pissing Zuko off and perhaps implanting the idea of me being his 'toy' into my mind. What does she mean by that anyways? And who is Mai?

We walk back to his room together and go inside. He still looks mad about what Azula said.

"Your sister is... _interesting_," I say as I sit down on the bed next to him.

"She has issues," he responds, suddenly seeming more sad than pissed off.

"Oh..." I think that's pretty obvious though I don't say that to him of course.

He's silent for a long time.

"Sunny, you know you're not just some toy, or whatever, to me, right?" he finally says.

"Yeah..." I reply uncertainly. I want to ask him about Mai but I don't. It's probably better that I don't know.

He doesn't seem to like my reply and actually looks even more depressed now than he did before.

"I love you, Sunny," he says after sometime.

"I know." And I guess I really do believe that he does but I wonder why he never mentioned Mai before? I look over at him and I can tell that he's probably thinking about her right now but he doesn't say anything to me. I guess he'll tell me when he's ready.

I get up to leave but he grabs my arm and pulls me back into the bed.

"Please, don't go, Sunny..." he insists.

He looks so upset that I agree to stay the night but, unlike usual, we don't talk.

The next day, Aang, Katara, and the gAang show up to accompany Zuko on his search. He reassures me of how much he loves me before he kisses me and leaves.


	21. Part 2: Ch 7: The Fire Lord

_Inspired by the comic 'The Search - Part 1' where Zuko finds out his real father is not Ozai but Ikem, his mother's true love_

_Note, since 'The Search - Part II' and 'Part III' are not out yet, everything that's written about Ursa and Ikem (and Azula after 'The Search') is my take on what happens next and may not be consistent with the comic._

* * *

**Zuko**

I've never felt more lost, more unsure of who I am, than I do now. What I found in the search for my mother is more than I could have ever imagined. My father is not my real father but instead Ikem? He seems like a good person... like he would have been a _good_ father. I think about how different my life would have been if my mother refused to marry Ozai.

_Everything_ would be different.

In fact, I would probably be living in Hira'a with my parents who would actually love me, I wouldn't have this stupid scar, and... I wouldn't be the Fire Lord.

But I am.

And I guess if mother did stay in Hira'a, the war would still be going on and maybe my mother and father (and me for all I know) would not have lasted very long since I'm sure denying a marriage proposal from the Fire Prince wouldn't have went very well for them. I guess it explains why Azula was so much better than me at firebending when we were growing up.

Maybe I should just relinquish my position and let her be the Fire Lord instead. I mean, she rightfully should be I guess.

But Azula's in no state to lead a nation at the moment.

I tried to convince her to move back into her room but she refused. So, I put her in the guest house by the garden instead. I've never seen Azula cry before and watching her do so these past few days was really weird. I knew that behind all that rage and anger there was a real person inside but I guess I never realized how hurt and messed up that person was until our trip together. I guess people have their reasons for being the way that they are.

All my life Azula had bullied me and made fun of me but now I think I know why. I think it's because she was jealous that our mother loved me more than she loved her (not that that's actually true of course but I'm sure she felt that way). One thing that I am actually grateful to Azula for is that, despite all the pain she had caused me growing up, she never told anyone about my real father even though she knew the truth for years.

I wonder why she never said anything about it? I guess it's because father knew already and she figured that he wouldn't let me become Fire Lord anyways.

Anyways, maybe I should go talk to Uncle.

I get up, walk over to Uncle's room, and knock on the door.

"Come in," I hear him call out from the other side.

I open the door and go into his room.

"Uncle," I start but stop at the thought of Uncle not technically being my real Uncle. "I mean..." I'm not sure what to call him.

"Have a seat, nephew," he says as he pours a cup a tea for me. I think he can tell by my expression that something's wrong. I sit down and stare down at the tea. "I hear the search did not go so well."

"No, Uncle, it didn't."

"Did you find out what happened to your mother?"

"Yes. She's gone..."

"I'm sorry, nephew."

We sit in silence for a while.

"Uncle..." I finally say. "What if you found out you weren't really my Uncle?"

Uncle laughs a little, probably at the ridiculousness of my question. Or perhaps he, like my father, knew already?

"Whether I'm you're 'real Uncle' or not, you are still my nephew," he says. But that doesn't make any sense! If he's not my real Uncle then that would make me not his nephew, no?! "Uncle, nephew, mother, father, sister, it's not really all about the blood relationship between them, is it?"

"How could it not be?" Uncle is confusing me (though I guess I should be used to that by now but I _really_ want to understand this time).

"Zuko, you and I both know for sure that I am not your real father, right?"

"Well, yeah." Okay, now he's getting even more confusing. Of course he's not my father!

"But, ever since Lu Ten, you've been like a son to me. And whether I'm you're 'real' father or Uncle or not, it doesn't change the fact that you are like a son to me. I'm proud of everything you've accomplished so far and think that it is not always about 'birthright' but sometimes it's more about what _is_ right."

"Okay," I reply though I think I'm more confused than I was before I came to talk to Uncle.

"Destiny is a funny thing," he says as he takes another sip of his tea.

I sit there with him for a while but I don't touch my tea. It _is_ a funny thing...

After some time, I get up and return to my room. I think about what Uncle said about 'birthright' versus was 'is right.' But how do I know what's right? Though, I guess I know that it's wrong for my father... or Ozai to be the Fire Lord and it's wrong for Azula to be Fire Lord (at least at this time) so maybe, for now, it is right for _me_ to be the Fire Lord?

**Sunny**

It's been two days since Zuko returned from his trip. I haven't had a chance to see him yet and, considering Uncle is still the interim Fire Lord, I'm guessing his search didn't go too well.

After morning training, I head over to see if I can find him. I cut across the garden (my favorite part of the palace) but stop when I see Azula sitting on a bench. She looks so different from when I saw her a few weeks ago in the asylum. Her hair is neatly combed and she is wearing a beautiful red robe. But something doesn't seem right. She's sitting in front of the dragon-roses with a sort of dazed look on her face.

"Azula?" I say as I pass her. I don't know why I decided to engage her in a conversation considering how mean she was to me last time I saw her but something about the look on her face made me feel like maybe she could use some company.

"Oh, it's you," she says softly as she looks up at me. Whew, I'm glad she didn't snap at me or something for disturbing her.

"Are you okay?"

She doesn't respond. Instead, she turns her gaze back to the dragon-roses.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" I comment, attempting to start a conversation with her.

"Yeah," is all she says. I remember that Zuko had mentioned they were his mother's favorite. Maybe Azula is thinking about their mother.

I sit with her for a while but I don't try to talk to her again. It's probably best that I don't say anything that might upset her. After a while, I get up to leave.

As I stand up, I hear her whisper, "Thank you."

I turn back around to see if maybe she wants to talk or something but she just continues to stare at the flowers as if I wasn't there at all. I wonder what happened on their trip? Azula is certainly _very_ different than before. I think for a moment that I should sit back down and stay with her for longer but I shake the feeling and continue on to Zuko's room.

When I get there, his guard lets me in and I find that he is sitting on his balcony. I walk over and sit down next to him.

"Hey, Zee," I say as I sit down.

"Hi Sunshine," he replies and then takes my hand. He seems pretty out of it (though a lot less than Azula I guess). I want to ask him about the trip and what happened but I refrain myself in case he doesn't want to talk about it. By the looks of it, it was bad.

We sit for a while and look out at the city.

"Hey, Sunny," he says after a while, "do you think that it's true that blood relationships aren't what actually makes people your family?" What a weird question. I think about it for a moment. Ever since my Mom and I left Capital City so many years ago, my life has been quite a mess.

"Hmm, well, I guess so," I reply. "I mean, even though Dad is my real Dad, I still see General How and his wife as my parents as well. And, even Mama, I would consider Mama my mother also. So, yes. I think it's true that family goes beyond blood. But I think maybe I'm the wrong person to ask considering my life is pretty confusing. Very few people could probably say that they have two Dads and three Moms... I don't know."

He smiles and then looks at me, "Your life is pretty messed up, huh?"

"Geez, thanks."

He's silent for a while but then finally says, "I found out on my trip that my father isn't really my father."

"Oh..." I say though I'm actually thinking more like 'what in the world is he talking about?!'

"And that my father is actually my mother's true love who she was with before she was' forced' to marry my father, or my not-father I guess," he continues. "Which I guess isn't too crazy of a story if my father wasn't the Father Lord."

"I think you mean Fire Lord but okay..." I see where he's going with this but I don't think that it makes much of a difference now. His father is in jail and the only other person who would potentially be Fire Lord is Azula and she's... "Zee, what are you saying?" I ask even though I know what he's getting at.

"Well... maybe I shouldn't be Fire Lord."

"Zuko, that's ridiculous!" And I could tell by his hesitation that he knows it is too. "You out of all people know that there's no one else who is even remotely capable of being Fire Lord, besides Uncle of course who doesn't even want the job."

"I know," he replies and then looks down at the floor.

We're silent for a while.

"So, you going to join the 'New Ozai Society' and overthrow yourself?!" I joke to try and lighten the mood.

"Maybe I should," he replies with a smile. "Speaking of the 'New Ozai Society,' have you figured out anything else about them? Are there others?"

"You mean besides your ex-girlfriend's father and his friends? Well, yes, there are others. But we are still unsure of exactly who or where they are at the moment. Commander Song is continuing the investigation." I figured I'd throw in that ex-girlfriend thing to try to get him to talk about her.

"Right... Mai. I guess I should explain. Mai and I dated for a while before... well after we met in Ba Sing Se, when I was all confused and came home. Then we dated again after you left me. But she broke up with me when I started seeing my father during all that Yu Dao stuff."

"Oh... you must have cared a lot about her." I mean, considering they were on and off, I'm sure he really cared about her.

"I did, I mean... I do," he replies. It kind of hurts to know that he still cares a lot about his ex-girlfriend. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. "But it's not the same as... well, it's more like I care about her as a person and wish that she'd find something that makes her happy. As a girlfriend, I feel like she never actually understood me and she's impossible to talk to, which is the main reason we broke up. But, even though we broke up, I still care about her and want her to find something that makes her happy. And considering what happened with her Dad I'm sure she's even more unhappy than she ever was before."

I can tell by his voice that he wishes there was something he could do. "That's really sad." I feel bad for her now and sort of wish that I didn't know so much about her.

"It _is_ sad and I wish I could make her happy but I think she needs to find happiness on her own. She can't depend on someone else for that."

"Right," I say. "You make a good point... So, when are we going to get our Fire Lord back?" I ask to change the subject.

"Soon," he says. "But I still have some things I need to work out and I think this is a good time for me to address them. It's hard to find time to deal with my internal and relationship issues when I'm constantly bombarded by the demands of, well, everyone."

"I understand."

"I know you do," he says and then kisses me. "I love you, Sunny."

"I love you too Zuko," I say as I kiss him back. "So what happened to your mother?" I ask after we kiss for a while. I mean, that was the main reason I came to talk to him.

"Oh, right... well, it's kind of a crazy story." He tells me about how he and the gAang were swept into the spirit world when they go to look for his mother and they find out that when she was banished, she returned to Hira'a, where she grew up, to find Ikem, her long lost love (and Zuko's real father). But, when she arrived, he was gone. Apparently he was so grieved about my mother leaving that he had drowned himself in a pond. However, no one had ever found his body. So, when she returned to the village, she went to the pond every night to look for him. But she never found him. Then, one day, she vanished.

"Wow, that's _really_ sad, Zee." I can't imagine being separated from Zuko and then thinking that we could be reunited only to find out that he had killed himself...

"Yes, but that's not the whole story," he continues. "When we were swept into the spirit world, I met my real father and saw my mother again. There was a spirit - Lang, a giant wolf - who had taken them both into the spirit world where they could be together forever. So, they live there near Hira'a with Lang, guarding the village where they both used to live. Mother says that she visits Azula and I sometimes in our dreams (mostly) and that she is proud of us both. I think that that really got to Azula since, after we got back from the spirit world, she cried for two days straight."

"Oh, that explains it!" I exclaim, referring to Azula.

"Explains what?"

"Oh, well, I saw Azula in the garden on my way over here. She looked really out of it."

"Yeah, I think it was particularly hard for her considering..." I know, considering everything that's happened to her and where she is now. It must have been really hard for her to hear her mother's words.

"Right," I say acknowledging that I know what he's referring to. "You should probably spend more time with her I guess."

"Yeah, we should," he replies.

I look down at my watch and realize that I'm over an hour late for my afternoon class. "Crap!"

"What is it?"

"I'm late. Dad's going to haze me to _death_!" I tell him before I kiss him goodbye and run off to class.


	22. Part 2: Ch 8: Ember Island

**Zuko**

I put my cloak on and sneak out of the palace. It's been two weeks since I've returned from my trip to find my mother and, since Sunny had moved out while I was away, I haven't been able to see her as much as I'd like. So, I figured I'll surprise her with a visit. I bring some dragon-roses with me hoping they will help convince her to let me stay in case she gets upset at me for sneaking out of the palace. She's so cute when she gets upset about me sneaking around to see her and she seems to always let me get away with it, which I like.

I pull the hood lower as I walk through the night market toward her apartment. It's kind of nice to be able to actually walk around my own city for a change. I get to her building and knock at her door. She answers (in her cute robe and slippers).

"Zuko! What are you doing here?!" she whispers in her sort of annoyed voice as she quickly lets me in.

"Wow, is my disguise really _that_ bad?" I ask, taking my hood off.

"I think I could recognize my own boyfriend in a hood," she says and then kisses me.

"Brought you some flowers for your apartment. Sorry I haven't had a chance to come visit sooner. I sort of don't like the fact that you moved out." She takes the flowers and puts them in the sink as she grabs some tea for us.

"I know, that's why I did it when you were gone," she says playfully with a sly smile. Ugh, her smile is so cute that I can't even get mad at her for moving out while I was gone! I can't believe she thought it all through like that.

"All ready for our trip tomorrow?" I've planned a weekend trip for us to Ember Island where the gAang is planning to meet us.

"Oh right, I'm all packed," she says pointing to a bag on the chair next to her door. "Is Suki coming?"

"Of course. I don't think she'd pass up an opportunity to see Sokka."

"Right," she replies, laughing in agreement. "They're so cute together!

Um... sure, whatever.

I get up and kiss her. "You know what else is cute?" I ask as I continue to kiss her. "You."

She smiles and then kisses me back.

"Hey," she says after a while, "do you think we should invite Azula too?" Azula? I guess that would make sense. Maybe a trip to Ember Island would help her cheer up a little.

"That's a great idea!" I say and then continue to kiss her.

I stay the night and we head back to the palace together in the morning.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" The guard at the palace gates looks totally confused and surprised when he sees us walking towards him.

"Good morning," I reply with a smile.

He lets us in and we grab Suki and Azula (who takes a little convincing but then agrees to come along) and get on a balloon headed to Ember Island.

**Sunny**

"Are you sure it's a good idea to have Azula around?" Suki whispers to me as we get off the balloon.

"I know she's had a complicated past but I think maybe some rest and relaxation may help considering..." I reply, referring to what happened in the search for her and Zuko's mother, which I'm sure Suki is aware of considering Sokka was there.

"Okay..." she says reluctantly. "But I'm keeping an eye on her."

"Right, of course."

We head down to Zuko's family's beach house where Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph are already settled in.

"Looks like our group just got bigger," Toph says when she sees us approach. I remember how Zuko had told me they all spent weeks here right before Sozin's Comet. That must have been so much fun!

"Yup," Zuko replies as Sokka and Suki run towards each other and embrace (and make out and stuff).

Zuko puts our things in his room as I help Azula get settled in hers. She still seems a bit out of it, though much less than the last time I saw her. And considering this was where their family vacationed when she and Zuko were young, I'm guessing she's thinking about her mother again. But I don't pry. She sits at the vanity mirror and stares at the various items on the desk.

"My mother used to brush my hair with this comb," she says mostly to herself as she picks up a beautifully decorated ivory comb.

"Oh..." I reply, unsure of what to say. "My parents used to own a home here also. Mom taught me to swim at the beach not far from here."

"What happened to your mother?" she asks, seeming (surprisingly) genuinely interested.

"Well... she died when I was really young," I tell her. I don't really want to get into all the details of what happened since I don't think it's really an appropriate time to talk about it so I just keep it as vague as possible.

"I'm sorry," she replies and then stares in the mirror. She begins to brush her hair and has that sort of dazed look on her face again. She clearly doesn't want to talk or anything so I excuse myself and step out of the room to leave her to her own thoughts.

I go back downstairs and hang out with the gAang. We decide to barbecue at the house rather than going out for dinner since it would probably be more fun that way. Suki, Katara, Toph and I go down to the market to pick up ingredients and we spend the rest of the day preparing food, catching up, and just hanging out.

Azula stays in her room until it is time for dinner, when Zuko goes up to get her.

**Zuko**

I walk up the stairs that I've walked up so many times before towards Azula's room. I think back about when her, Mai, and Ty Lee used to make fun of me and I would run up these stairs into my mother's room for comfort.

Strange how different things are now.

I knock on Azula's door but she doesn't respond. I enter and find that she is sitting in front of the mirror with two small blue flames in her hands.

"Azula?" I say carefully as I approach her. The flames go out.

"Zuko," she replies calmly. I don't think she's every called me 'Zuko' before in my entire life. I stand next to her, silent, for a few minutes waiting for her to continue. "Do you really think mother actually loved me?"

"Azula, you spoke to her yourself. I'm sure she loves you a lot."

"But, she's clearly a liar!" she cries out, tears streaming down her face.

"What are you talking about Azula?!" It hurts to see my sister, one of the strongest and most confident people I've ever known, cry.

"Well, she said that she's proud of me but what is there for her to be proud of?! I'm... I'm nothing," she says angrily.

"Azula, you're not nothing. You're my sister and the rightful Fire Lord," I reply. She doesn't respond though it seems her anger has faded into a sort of sadness that I've never seen before in Azula. I guess she's been really good at hiding all her pain behind her anger until now. I wait for a while before I tell her, "Dinner is ready, you should come join us."

To my surprise, she actually comes downstairs and eats with us. She doesn't say a word the entire time, which is kind of scary to be honest, but I understand. I'm thinking she's probably really lost right now, which I can relate to considering I've been there before. I just wish there was something I could do to help her. I can tell that the angry, bitter, and crazy Azula is gone. But I wonder what she's like without that anger? I bet I wouldn't even recognize her!

I think for a while about how it would be like to have a 'normal' little sister, like Katara to Sokka. That would be nice.

We finish eating and Sunny and I decide to walk down to the beach. It's nice to just be here with her, away from everyone else. We stroll for a while and talk about our lives. She tells me about the family vacations she used to take here when she was young and I tell her about mine. I promise to take our kids here (when we have kids that is) and teach them to swim like her parents taught her. She laughs at the thought of having kids. I know, we are way too young right now. But, one day, I think she'd make an amazing mother, like my mother.

We lay out under the stars for a while and she admires their beauty as I admire hers.

After some time, we return to the house to get some rest but we stay up for hours talking about all sorts of things from Ba Sing Se, Uncle, and Azula to what we will name our future kids instead. She likes the name Zeva for a girl and maybe Iroh for a boy. I agree (mostly because I'm fine with naming them whatever she'd like).

The next morning, I wake up to find Sunny and Azula firebending in the courtyard. Oh no, I hope Azula didn't go crazy and try to take everyone out! Alarmed, I run downstairs to make sure Sunny's okay. I get to the courtyard and find that everyone is sitting on the steps watching them have, what looks like, a friendly match.

I pinch myself to make sure that I'm actually awake. Ouch! I am.

Blue and red, orange, and green flames fill the air. Wow, they are... beautiful (which is not a word that I use to describe things other than Sunny often, but they kind of remind me of when Aang and I were at the Sun Warrior's ancient city). I've never seen anyone besides Ran and Shaw bend so many colors at once.

Sunny and Azula are amazing!

They finish and the gAang gives them a standing ovation. I'd join but I don't do that clapping crap.

"You're fun to practice with," Azula says to Sunny afterwards.

"Azula, you're amazing! Maybe you can teach me that lightning stuff you do sometime," she says and then pauses for a moment as if she's thinking about something. She's so cute when she's thinking. "Actually, I think you would be a really great addition to the teachers for the Special Forces recruits. There's a lot of good, young, talent there," she suggests, looking over at me for my approval.

"Hmm... molding young minds. I like the idea of that," Azula replies with a mischievous smile.

"Great, then job's yours, Azula." It seems like we may have just found something that she could do and perhaps would actually get some satisfaction out of.

"Lucky me," she says sarcastically and then goes inside for breakfast. I guess that's as close to a 'Thanks Zuko' that I'd ever get from Azula.

We finish breakfast and then spend the rest of the day at the beach before we head back to Capital City.


	23. Part 2: Ch 9: A Pleasant Surprise

**Sunny**

After two months of training the new Fire Nation Special Forces with Dad and Azula, Earth King Kuei had asked me to spend some time in the Earth Kingdom leading workshops on Fire Nation relations for various cities across the Kingdom. So, for the past four months, I've been traveling from city to city, working closely with selected groups of officials and citizens in developing and maintaining relationships between the two nations.

I split what little time I have left over between visiting Zuko in Capital City, my 'parents,' and Uncle (and Azula) in Ba Sing Se. Zuko sometimes meets me in whatever Earth Kingdom city he can but only when he is able to sneak it in on his way to some important Fire Lord-y meeting somewhere. I'm happy he does since it's really nice to actually be able to share at least _some_ of my travels and experiences with him.

Domestically, Zuko has been slowly moving funding away from military operations and into other areas such as education, technology, infrastructure, cultural affairs, and diplomacy. I particularly like the diplomacy part since it means that I have more funding for my programs (though I didn't ask for it or anything of course). Generally, I think the shift of funding has really helped improve his relationship with his people. Though, despite all that he's done, there are obviously still some loyalists left. I think maybe it's just simply a part of leading a powerful nation - there's just no way he can possibly make _everyone_ happy.

As for Azula, we've become pretty good friends during our time leading classes together and, after the annual training ended, I talked Earth King Kuei into recruiting her as the leader of the Dai Li. He was extremely reluctant at first but, considering she's had experience with the Dai Li and is undoubtedly a very qualified leader, I convinced him that she was the perfect person for the job. Plus, he's been looking to fill the position for over two years! Azula seems surprisingly happy about it since it's pretty obvious that the Dai Li all strongly fear and revere her, which I think she gets quite a kick out of.

I haven't been back in Ba Sing Se for months so, after putting my things down at home, I head over to Uncle's to say hello (and perhaps play a game of Pai Sho). I arrive just after the shop is closed and knock on the door.

To my surprise, Azula answers.

"Azula!" I say, happy to see her.

"Hey Sunny," she replies as she lets me in.

"I didn't expect to find _you_ here."

"Why not? _My _Uncle does own this tea shop." Okay, that's true. I just didn't realize that she spends time at Uncle's. I guess they've reconciled their differences during the past few months she's been here in Ba Sing Se.

"Right," I reply as we walk over to the Pai Sho table where Uncle seems to be in middle of a game.

"Sunny!" Uncle says when he sees me. He gets up and hugs me before sitting back down at the table. He seems particularly engaged in his game today (not that he's ever not super engaged in a Pai Sho game but he just seems more so than usual this time). "It's your turn," he says to Azula as she sits back down.

"Oh, I didn't realize you play Pai Sho, Azula." I guess there's a lot I don't know about her.

"She's one of the best players there is!" Uncle says as he contemplates his next move. Is there _anything_ she isn't 'one of the best' at?

I walk over to the kitchen and grab some tea and then sit back down to watch the rest of the game. To my surprise, Azula wins.

After their game, we have dinner together and catch up. I tell Uncle and Azula about my travels, Azula tells us about how fun it is bossing the Dai Li around, and Uncle lets us taste some of his new tea concoctions. Apparently, Azula lives just down the block and comes to visit Uncle three or four times a week. I'm a little jealous that they actually get to live in _one _city and visit each other so often. I miss Uncle and actually sort of miss Azula too. She's fun to hang out with though she can be a little pushy at times. I guess she's just used to having her way (once a princess, always a princess I suppose).

I head back to my house after a few hours with Uncle and Azula. And, when I arrive, I can see from outside that the kitchen light is on. I don't think I left a light on so I'm guessing Dad must have come home.

I open the door and am pleasantly surprised when I see Zuko sitting at my kitchen table. He's wearing a comfortable looking green robe, with a cup of tea in one hand and one of my books in the other. Gosh, I never noticed how good he looks in green (probably because he's usually in red I guess). I feel my face light up as I suppress the urge to run up to him and kiss him. His hair is wet so I presume he's been here for a while and has already washed up for bed.

"Hi honey, I'm home." I image that I had just came home to my wonderful (and super attractive) _husband_ rather than my Fire Lord boyfriend. "I see you raided my tea cabinet," I say playfully as I sit down at the table across from him.

"Welcome home, sweetheart," he replies as he puts the book down. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, I was at Uncle's. I didn't expect you to be here or I would have suggested you meet us there."

"I thought I'd surprise you," he says and then gets up and kisses me. I feel myself fall in love with him all over again as he kisses me. I can't believe we've been together for nearly a year already. Though, it's kinds of strange... on one hand it feels like it was just yesterday when we started dating again but on the other hand I feel like I've been with him forever. I smile at the thought of spending the rest of my life with him, falling more and more in love with him everyday.

"Well, I'm surprised," I say as I kiss him back. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too, love. And I'm glad the Earth King let you take a few days off for our trip. Though, it's irritating that he sometimes acts like you're _his_ ambassador instead of mine," he says with the most adorable annoyed expression on his face.

**Zuko**

"I know. But _you _know I'm _yours_, right?" she asks and then kisses me deeply. By the way she's kissing me, I'm pretty sure she is referring to her heart more than her occupation, which I like (a lot).

"And _I'm _yours." I kiss her back.

I wish we could spend more time together and that I could see her and kiss her _everyday_ instead of just three or four times a month. It's just so hard for either of us to find _that_ much time to be away from everything for a while. So I'm glad that we will at least be spending the next few days together, just the two of us, since we had decided that rather than buying each other gifts or whatever for our anniversary, we'd take a trip together instead. I let her choose the place since I don't really care where we go but she hasn't told me where it is yet. I wonder why she's being so secretive about it? Perhaps she'll tell me if I ask her again today considering she's horrible at keeping secrets from me.

"Hey, where are we going for our anniversary tomorrow anyways?"

"I told you, honey, it's a secret," she replies with the cutest smirk ever. "So, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow, when we get there, to find out."

"Fine." I hate surprises but she's too cute for me to get upset at her.

"I guarantee you, you're going to _love_ it," she says in an attempt to reassure me that she's not taking me to some crappy Earth Kingdom city or something. I mean, it's fun visiting her in the Earth Kingdom and all but I think a private island somewhere without all the distractions of a city would be _much_ better.

I let it go and we head upstairs for the night. I lay in bed thinking about her as she takes a shower. I can't believe that we've been together for a whole year now. And, even though I don't get to see her as often as I'd like, it's been really nice to have my best friend around when I need someone to talk to and to share my joy, frustrations, sadness, fears... my _everything_ with; to have someone who actually listens to and understands me. I've never been so close to anyone before and hope that she'll be with me for the rest of my life.

I watch her as she re-enters the room in her cute robe and slippers and feel my heart beating uncontrollably as she gets into bed next to me. She smells so good that I just want to eat her up (not literally of course). I reach over and kiss her, imagining that she is my wife. But I remind myself that she isn't (yet) and refrain myself from... well, you know. Instead, I hold her tightly in my arms as she tells me all about her travels since I've last seen her and I tell her about mine. I wish that we could go places together but I know that we are needed in different places right now. I wonder if life would ever let her physically settle in _one_ place, which I'm hoping will be Capital City of course.

"Oh, I saw Azula at Uncle's today," she tells me after a while.

"Really?! I didn't realize she visits Uncle." I could have sworn Azula found Uncle kind of annoying.

"Yeah, me either but she was there. And is apparently _really good_ at Pai Sho."

"I'm not surprised. Azula is good at _everything._" In fact, I can't think of a single thing that she's not good at.

Sunny tells me about how well she's doing with the Dai Li and how funny it is to see their faces when she yells at them. They are scared out of their wits of her! I laugh thinking about how, despite how far she's come since the last time she was the leader of the Dai Li, she's still the same Azula I've known my whole life. I guess the 'good' Azula isn't all that different from the Azula she was before.

Though, I'm sure she's _very_ different in some ways.

"Mom would be so proud of her."

"I'm sure she _is,_" Sunny replies sleepily.

I'm happy that they seem to really get along since I don't think Azula has ever had any real friends before. Except maybe Mai and Ty Lee. Though, I think it was more like they did whatever Azula wanted because they were scared of her rather than because they were her friends. And, now that I know what real friendship actually is thanks to Aang and the gAang, I don't think that really counts.

I look down at Sunny who is sound asleep and kiss her on the forehead before I fall asleep with her in my arms. I can't believe I get to hold the most beautiful woman in the world in my arms when I sleep.

I'm the luckiest guy alive.


	24. Part 2: Ch 10: Ran and Shaw

**Zuko**

The next morning, Sunny and I get on a balloon headed to her 'secret location.' I wonder where she's taking me and why she has to be so secretive about it? She's usually horrible at keeping secrets from me (besides the whole dragon thing I guess).

I fiddle with the ring in my pocket and think about how I'm going to ask her the question. I've been practicing on Sokka for weeks but I don't know how helpful that's actually going to be since he makes a pretty crappy Sunny.

She navigates the balloon past the Western Mountains, towards the Fire Nation, but slows down as we approach the Northern Air Temple. I think for a moment that we are going to the Air Temple. But why would she want to go to the Northern Air-

Oh wait, she must be taking us to the Sun Warrior's ancient city! I never would have expected her to take me here since she usually ignores me when I talk about it but it's pretty cool (ten times better than some Earth Kingdom city at least).

We land on a beach in the southern part of the island, not far from the city. I begin to walk towards the city but she takes my hand and leads me down the beach instead. We walk in silence until we reach a small opening in the cliffs. We climb into the opening and through a small passage way which leads into a dark cave.

"There's something I've been wanting to show you," she says as we continue to walk in the dark. "But you can't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay, I won't," I promise. I wonder what's in the cave. The eternal flame perhaps? Oh wait, that's upstairs. Hmm...

We continue deeper into the cave until we get to what feels like a large opening. It's so dark down here that I can barely see her right next to me. I think about firebending some light for us to see where we're going but there's probably a reason we're walking in the dark since she could have lit the room herself, so I refrain.

Suddenly, she stops.

"Watch out, there's a steep drop." She grabs my hand and pulls me away from the edge that I could barely see.

"What are we doing down here in the dark?" I finally ask. "Is this where you kill me and throw my body down into this ditch where no one will ever find me?" I add playfully (though I'm starting to wonder...).

"_Maybe_," she replies and then bends a small flame onto a torch in the middle of the room. Her flame is dark red, a color that she doesn't usually bends with. Light fills the room and I can now see that the walls are covered in Sun Warrior paintings. Red, blue, green, and gold dragons and Sun Warriors fill the walls, surrounding what looks like a giant sun in the middle of the ceiling. Sun-stones and gems accent the paintings and cover the center column where the torch is.

I watch as she closes her eyes, turns toward the flame in the middle of the room, and bend it with her mind (or heart or whatever). The flame begins to change colors - blue, green, red, gold, blue green, red, gold, etc. - until it looks like a single flame consisting of all the colors at once. Wow. I've never seen anyone do anything like that before!

We stand for a while in silence. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, I see a blue dragon fly by and begin to circle the flame. Ran? A few moments later, a red dragon (Shaw I suppose) joins in her dance. They circle the flame for a while before they gently land next to us on the large platform we are standing on. I feel my body stiffen and freeze up as they approach. I can't believe we just walked into Ran and Shaw's home and are still alive!

Sunny goes up to Ran and hugs her. She pets the dragon for a while before turning around and signaling for me to come closer. I force my limbs to move and mechanically walk myself over to her and the dragons.

"It's time for the living sacrifice." I pretty sure she's kidding but she sounds so serious that I think I sort of believe her.

"What?!" I exclaim, expecting her to smile and tell me she's kidding. But she doesn't. Crap, my girlfriend is _insane_! I turn to run out of the cave but she begins to laugh.

"I'm kidding, Zee," she says and then kisses me. I kiss her back though I'm still a little freaked out to be honest. Though, I guess she _is_ the Chief's sister's 'daughter,' which explains her kind of strange sense of humor sometimes. "She actually says that it's okay if we take her for a ride."

"What?" I'm a little shocked and totally reluctant to become dragon-food. In fact, I think this is close enough for me. But... she seems to be completely convinced that it's safe. "Umm... are you sure?"

"Yes, honey, she said so herself." How is she so sure of that?! I don't think I heard them talking or anything. "Trust me, I didn't bring you down here to feed you to Ran. Plus, she doesn't like Fire Lord meat anyways," she jokes and then shows me where to sit and how to hold on to the dragon, reassuring me that everything's going to be just fine.

"Okay..." I say as I reluctantly climb on. Ran seems a little uncomfortable at first but, after Sunny gets on, she relaxes a bit.

"It's okay, sweetie, he won't hurt you," Sunny says as she pets Ran. "Ga-ja (_Author's note: 'let's go' in Korean_)."

Ran seems to understand what Sunny is saying and is as calm as a turtle-sloth as she gently takes off.

She flies deeper into the cave, which seems to get darker and darker by the second. But, after what seems like forever in the dark, I see a light in the distance. As we approach, I discover that the cave actually leads to a huge opening where families of dragons live. No way, now _this_ is cool. I wonder how long Sunny has known about this place?! Multi-colored flames light the entire area and, from the looks of it, there are about a dozen or more dragons living here.

They completely ignore us as we slowly fly by.

After we pass through the dragon den, Ran speeds up and begins to fly directly upwards (which is scary as hell) until we exit into the sky above the Sun Warrior's ancient city. Wow. I look back at Sunny who is hugging me from behind. She smiles at me, seemingly more interested in my reaction to the ride than the magnificent view below us. From the looks of it, she and Ran have done this _many_ times before. We fly for a while until we reach a small island with a single beach bungalow. Ran gently lands on the secluded beach near the structure.

A few minutes later, a red dragon lands behind us. It looks like Shaw has followed us out of the cave.

"Ran and Shaw are inseparable," Sunny tells me after we dismount the blue dragon. I can still feel the adrenaline from the ride pumping through my veins when Shaw walks up to me and rubs himself against my side. I stand there, awkwardly, not sure if that's a good sign or a bad one.

"I think Shaw likes you," Sunny says with a smile.

"Oh," I reply, a bit shocked. I reach out carefully and pet Shaw like I saw Sunny pet Ran before. He seems to like it.

_This is amazing!_

After a while, Sunny and I go into the bungalow, which is beautifully decorated with Sun Warrior art. Its foundation and roof are built of wood, clay, and woven banana leaves. There is a large fire-pit in the middle of the room and instead of walls, thick red curtains with beautifully embroidered dragons cover the sides of the structure. The curtain facing the ocean is made of a somewhat sheer material, allowing you to see right through it to the beach when the sun is up.

"Does someone live here?" I ask as we put our things down.

"Nope. It's just a small get-away spot the Chief built years ago. He said I could take you here if Ran let you ride her," she replies. "Though, I think he was sort of expecting her to refuse."

I laugh and then kiss her.

"This is amazing," I say. "I can't believe Ran lets you ride her. It's as if she's _your _dragon or something."

"She is. And if it weren't for Ran, I don't think I would have ever been able to get over my Mom's death. I've been wanting to take you here for a while now and figured our anniversary is the perfect excuse."

"Thanks." It _is_ perfect.

We go down to the beach and swim for a while before she prepares some duck-pig for roasting.

"Why duck-pig?" I ask as she puts the food on the fire to cook. I could have sworn she's not really a fan.

"Oh, I thought you love duck-pig," she replies with a confused look on her face. Her confused face is cute.

"Umm... I guess you could say that I've gotten used to it. But I certainly wouldn't say that I like it."

"What?! You were so excited that time Uncle asked you to bring him some like years ago." She looks a little annoyed by the fact that I don't like duck-pig, which I think is kind of funny.

"You remember that?!" I reply, not sure what she's referring to. I think about it for a while. Oh, right. She's probably referring to that night when Uncle asked me to walk her home for the first time and pick up some duck-pig on my way back. That was a _long_ time ago.

I laugh.

"What?" she asks, curious as to what I'm laughing about.

"I wasn't excited about duck-pig, silly. I was excited about finally getting some alone time with you," I admit, a bit embarrassed that she remembered.

She laughs and then sweetly kisses me.

"That's so cute!" she replies as she flips the duck-pig. "Well, I'm glad we cleared that one up. I'd hate to have to eat this crap all the time... I don't really like it too much."

"Me either."

We eat the not-so-great-but-not-terribly-bad duck-pig as we watch the sunset on the horizon. Afterwards, she feeds the remains to Ran and Shaw, who seem to actually like it, and we head back to the bungalow for the night.

She tells me all about her time with the Sun Warrior's tribe and everything she's learned from Ran and Shaw. It's really amazing that she got to spend three years of her life learning from the original masters of firebending themselves. No wonder she's such a good bender! I tell her about my three minute encounter with them and about how Aang and I spent hours stuck in some random goo in the temple.

"You shouldn't have touched the sacred gem!" she exclaims when I tell her about picking up the golden egg.

"I know," I say, a bit embarrassed about my mistake, "But, hey, it lead us to Ran and Shaw."

"That's true. I guess we learn from our mistakes, no matter how stupid they are," she replies playfully.

I laugh and then kiss her. "Right."

After a while, we wash up and then head to bed for a good night's sleep.

**Sunny**

We spend the next morning on the beach but then decide to go get something, other than duck-pig, to eat for lunch. Ran and Shaw let us take them to a nearby island town where they sell some of the most amazing fresh seafood and tropical fruits. We pick some up for roasting and then head back to the island where we spend the remainder of the day eating, talking, and playing on the beach. It's so nice to be able to spend an extended amount of quality time with Zee.

We take the dragons out for a ride as the sun sets and watch from the air as the sky changes colors and then darkens. Shaw seems to really like Zuko and he's claimed the dragon as his own, which I think Shaw would agree to if he could talk.

It's so cute that our dragons are a couple, just like we are.

We head back to the bungalow after the sun sets and roast some sweet potatoes in the fire-pit inside.

"Hey, Sunny?" he says after we finish eating our potatoes. I look over at him and he looks nervous or something. What's there to be nervous about?

"Yes, Zuko?" I reply as he gets down on one knee. Umm... oh my gosh... I feel my smile widen and my heart flutter as I imagine his next words.

"Will you marry me?" he says, looking up into my eyes. I'm so happy I could die right now (though, I'm glad I don't)! I want to say yes, of course, but I can't seem to make myself talk. I nod my head instead and let him put the ring on my finger.

"Yes," I say after I regain my composure. "A million times yes if I could say it that many times," I add as I kiss him. I can't believe I get to marry my best friend! I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

"I love you, Sunny," he says after we kiss for a while.

"I love _you_, Zuko." And I _really_ do. It's a little hard to believe that I'm going to marry the Fire Lord out of all people but I can't imagine my life with anyone else but him.

We head to bed and he holds me tightly in his arms as we fall asleep to the sound of the waves.

The next morning, we head over to the Sun Warrior's ancient city. I introduce Zuko to Mama and the Chief welcomes us both back. We tell them about our engagement and they throw a huge celebration for us, dragons included of course. We stay the night and Mama makes us some delicious Sun Warrior breakfast in the morning before I head back to Ba Sing Se, after dropping Zuko off in Capital City.

I look down at my ring and think about the amazing man who I'm going to marry as I ride 'home' by myself.

I can't wait to tell Dad!


	25. Part 3: Ch 1: The Beginning of the End

**PART III: THE LOYALISTS**

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_Part III is inspired by the Biblical story of Absalom, King David's third son who rebels against him in 2 Samuel 13-18_

* * *

Note to people who have been following this story: Part III gets a little crazy but I think you will really like the ending. Thanks for reading! :)

* * *

**Sunny**

It's been four months since Zuko proposed and Azula and I are on our way to Yu Dao for the first ever joint military training exercise. Zuko, Aang and the Earth King have been busy designing the five day program that consists of team building and intelligence exercises between some of the top officers from the three nations - the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Water Tribe. It sounds like it's going to be a really fun and enriching experience since it's always nice to be able to learn from other benders. Plus, I may even get a chance to work on my swordsmanship, which I haven't had much time to practice since I left my position in Ba Sing Se.

Zuko, Aang, and the gAang should be there by now and I'm excited to see them (Zuko most of all of course).

"So, I hear you and Zu-Zu are engaged," Azula says as she boards the balloon.

"Hi Azula!" I reply as I hug her. She doesn't seem to like hugs so I keep it quick. "We are." I show her my ring.

"Cute," she says, inspecting the ring. "I guess we're sisters now then."

Right. I didn't even think about that!

"Yeah, _soon_ we will be," I reply happily. It's actually really nice to have a sister for once though I hope she's nicer to me than she is to Zuko...

"So, when's the wedding?"

"Oh... not sure yet..." We've both been so busy with work that we haven't even talked about the wedding!

She laughs.

"Guess you guys haven't thought it all through yet, huh? Typical."

"Year, I'm sure we'll figure it out," I say mostly to reassure myself rather than her since I doubt she really cares all that much.

"Well, have fun at beauty school. It sure seems like something you'll _love_," she says sarcastically.

"Ugh, beauty school? What's that?" I ask. "It sounds _really_ lame."

"It _is_," she replies. "It's kind of like an extended spa day, which isn't so bad except that when I say extended I mean like three months."

She can't be serious?! It sounds like a drag.

"_Three months_?!"

"Yup. It's tradition. Every Fire Lady goes through it before she marries the Fire Lord. You sit through three months of 'beautification' and Fire Lady etiquette classes before they deem you 'ready' to marry the Fire Lord. Didn't Zu-Zu warn you about it?"

"No. He's never mentioned it," I say upset at the idea of having to sit around and do _nothing_ for three months. What a waste of time! Plus, who is going to go to Ping Yao where we hear a rebellion may be brewing? Okay fine... realistically, I'm sure we can find _someone_ to go on that mission but I was totally looking forward to it!

"Must have slipped his mind," she replies. "You know Zu-Zu, he never thinks things all the way through."

"Right..."

We land and are greeted by Zuko, Aang and the gAang.

**Zuko**

I help Sunny put her things in her room and we decide to stay in for the rest of the day, away from everyone else. It's not that I don't want to spend time with the gAang but I haven't seen Sunny in days and would very much prefer to spend some quality time with her instead of Aang and Sokka.

"How was the ride over?" I ask as she gets settled in.

"Fine..." she replies. That's an interesting response. She's usually much more cheerful than that.

"Is something wrong, love?"

"No..." Okay, she's _clearly_ lying.

"You know you're a horrible liar right?" I call her out on it. She smiles and then kisses me, which would normally distract me from any worries I may be having but not when it comes to her. "Good try, what's wrong?" I say after we kiss for a while.

"Darn. You know me too well, huh?" she replies, still avoiding my question. She's silent for a while but then confesses, "Azula told me about 'beauty school.'"

"Oh, you mean the 'beautification' process every Fire Lady has to go through before she's married... Right." I totally forgot bout that!

"Yeah, it sounds like a drag."

"Well, I'm sure you can just skip it. I mean it's not like anything could possibly make you any more beautiful than you already are," I say as I admire her beauty. She smiles though she doesn't seem convinced. "Sunny?" I say after a while.

"Yes?"

"You know you're the most beautiful girl in the world, right?" I reassure her of a fact that I've known since the day I first saw her.

"Right... thanks Zee. But it's not like I can just skip something that's tradition because you think it's not necessary."

"Well, I _am_ the Fire Lord, so I guess I can just cross that part out of the rules," I say playfully. She's unimpressed. "I'm kidding of course... I'm sure it can't be _that_ bad."

"Yeah, sure," she replies though I can tell that she's still not convinced. "So, when do you think I should start this crap?" Crap is exactly the right word for it. I think about it for a while. I know how much she wants to go to Ping Yao so I'm thinking it's probably best for us to wait until that mission is over.

"How about after Ping Yao," I suggest.

"Okay. Thanks, Zee," she says, seemingly relieved that I didn't say tomorrow or something.

"You know, I wish we could just skip all the formalities and just elope," I say somewhat jokingly though I actually kind of mean it.

She laughs. "Me too."

We spend the rest of the day hanging out in her room until we get hungry. She takes me down to her favorite seafood place in Yu Dao by the marina. And, after we eat, we walk around the marina and watch as the sun sets behind the clusters of docked ships. It's nice to just walk around with my _fiance_. Though, I can't wait to just be married already!


	26. Part 2: Ch 2: Ping Yao

**Sunny**

I return to Capital City after almost two months away and spend all day in my apartment working on the Ping Yao report that I will be presenting to Zuko and his advisers tomorrow. I remind myself to just stick to the facts tomorrow since I know Zuko's going to be very unhappy about the fact that I'm estimating the mission will take much longer than anticipated. In fact, I think it may take about another three months to complete.

Which means another three months before I can start my 'beautification.'

I think about how stupid the process of becoming Fire Lady is and how different my life is going to be afterwards. Sigh, I sort of wish the Ping Yao mission would just go on forever so I don't have to move into that boring palace. But then again, I'm sure things will go back to 'normal' after we are married... right? Though, I wonder, what does 'normal' even mean? Is it normal for someone to be constantly moving around with nowhere to really call 'home?' Is it normal to want to travel the world and continue to live life one mission at a time?

I have _no idea_. Maybe I should go over to the palace to see Zuko. He always seems to be able to cheer me up and help get some of these ridiculous thoughts out of my mind. But then again, I would really prefer not to talk to him about Ping Yao until I _have to_ tomorrow.

I head to bed instead and fall asleep imagining that he's here next to me, which I _really_ wish he was.

The next morning, I walk over to the palace for our meeting and present the facts to the Ping Yao committee. They all agree that it sounds like I will need to stay in Ping Yao for an extended period of time. I inform them of my estimate that the mission will probably take about another three months, if not more, to complete though they all seem to think it will take longer.

After the meeting, Zuko and I decide to take a walk in the garden before lunch.

"Do you really think it's going to take another three months?" he asks when we are finally alone.

"Yeah... probably more," I reply, sticking to the facts again. I _really_ don't want to get into an argument with him about this since I know he didn't want me to go to Ping Yao to begin with.

"I wish you'd spend more time here with me in Capital City."

"I know, Zee. But I can't just leave in middle of a mission," I say in attempt to reason with him.

"Well isn't there someone else we could send instead?"

"Zuko, I'm sure there is but..." I start but then hesitate since I'm pretty sure he's not going to like what I want to say. Should I tell him the truth? I guess I should since he'll probably read right through me if I try to lie to him anyways. "I sort of don't want to send someone else."

"I don't understand. Don't you want to be _here_ with me?" He seems really irritated by my statement.

"Of course I do!" I can't believe he even asked me that question. "Zuko, you know that I love you and would want to spend every moment of my life with you if I could, but I have responsibilities."

"I know. But if you're going to be the Fire Lady, I'm going to need you to come home more often. Plus, I don't really like the idea of you constantly being in such dangerous situations," he replies.

"Okay... well that's sort of part of the job, you know," I state as calmly as I possibly can.

**Zuko**

"Yeah... well maybe I'd like if it you didn't have that job anymore," I say before I can stop myself from saying it. Crap. I can tell by her facial expression that she's _pissed off_ now. Ugh, I hate it when she's mad at me.

"Did you _seriously_ just say that?" she asks. "So I guess I'm fired then, huh?"

"No, Sunny. I didn't mean it like that!" Though I sort of _did_. I just can't stand the fact that she's constantly away. And, every time she is, I worry that something's going to happen to her like the time her balloon was attacked on the way home. "It's just that you and I both know it's not safe out there and I can't stand the idea of something happening to you."

"So what do you suggest? That we find a new ambassador?"

"Maybe?" I reply though I really want to say 'yes, we definitely should.'

"Well, since you're the Fire Lord, if that's what you want, then fine - I quit," she says angrily.

"Sunny, no. Please, I'm sorry," I plead with her. I can tell she's _really_ pissed off now and is clearly just saying that she quits out of sheer annoyance rather than because she actually wants to step down and be my Fire Lady instead. It kind of hurts to think that it's not the other way around. "It's just really hard for me to not have you around."

She seems a little less angry now but still kind of annoyed.

"Okay, then what do you suggest we do?" she asks after she cools off a little.

"Hmm... get some lunch?" I suggest in an attempt to table this discussion for another time.

Surprisingly, she agrees.

I guess she doesn't want to talk about it as much as I don't. We head over to my room for lunch and eat in silence before we run off to our afternoon meetings.

I hope she isn't too upset at me. I feel really bad for suggesting that she step down as my ambassador, especially when I don't have anyone else who could actually do the job at the moment. I guess she's right, she has responsibilities. But what about me?! Once she becomes the Fire Lady, won't _I_ be one of her responsibilities as well? And then what!? I guess we should really start looking for a new ambassador soon so we can make the transition as seamless as possible.

I think about her and wish that we didn't have to deal with all this responsibility crap and that we could just live a simple life together where I could love her as she deserves to be loved everyday.

If only that were the case.

I finish up my meetings for the day and then sneak over to her apartment to see if she'd talk to me. But, when I arrive, I find that she is having tea with General Zhang, the Earth Kingdom general assigned to Ping Yao. Apparently he's the 'youngest and most handsome general in the Earth Kingdom.' _Whatever._

"Zee," she says as she opens the door. "I didn't expect you to drop by tonight."

"Right," I reply, irritated as all hell. I clench my fists as I imagine myself killing this general guy. What the hell does he think he's doing in _my fiance's_ home?!

"You remember General Zhang from this morning's meeting right? It's his first time in Capital City so he's asked me to show him around a bit."

"Oh, I didn't realize your house is part of the Capital City tour," I say to her soft enough so that general stupid doesn't hear me. I'm furious now and sort of wish I didn't come here.

"Fire Lord Zuko. My apologies but I was just heading back to the hotel," the stupid general says and then wishes us goodnight and leaves.

I close the door behind him and look at Sunny who doesn't seem to think anything of the situation.

"What the hell was _he_ doing here?" I ask as calmly as I possibly can.

"Oh, we were having tea," she replies innocently.

"Right. Because your home is the _only_ tea place in Capital City. Sunny, what the heck?!" My jealousy is uncontrollable now and I'm so angry that I want to punch a hole in the wall. But I refrain myself.

"Zuko, please. You know the tea here isn't any good."

"Whatever." That might be true but that's no excuse for her to have some random guy at her place!

"Zee..." she continues. And, for the first time, I'm kind of annoyed by how cute her voice is. "Why are you so angry?"

Wow. That's the stupidest question I've ever been asked. I don't answer her.

After a while, she comes up to me and kisses me.

"I love you Zuko," she says as she looks up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers.

Her words and her cuteness are so irritating that I grab her arm and push her away from me. If she really loves me she wouldn't have had that guy over!

"Ouch, that hurt!" she cries as she rubs her arm where I grabbed her.

I look over at her to see if she's okay but then decide that I'm too angry to care right now. I take her stupid tea cups and throw them into the sink.

**Sunny**

"That's what I think about your stupid tea party," he says out of anger. He's _really_ scary when he's angry and I really don't understand why he's so upset to begin with. We were just having tea!

"Zuko, what the hell?!" I say as I hear my tea cups shatter in the sink. "Could you please just calm down?"

"No! You go away for months on end and then, when you _do_ decide to come home, I find you giving a tour of your home to some random guy?! This is ridiculous!" He seems to be getting more and more angry by the minute.

"I wasn't giving _anyone_ a tour of my house! We were simply having tea, Zuko. I don't understand why you are so angry. He _knows_ I'm engaged," I plead with him. "I love you," I tell him again to reassure him of my commitment to him.

"If you _really_ loved me, you wouldn't be running off to Ping Yao with your General," he replies angrily.

Wow. That hurt so much that I'm not even sure how to respond.

I'm silent as I feel tears begin to fill my eyes. I can't believe he thinks that I'm being unfaithful to him, that I could possibly do something _so _messed up to him after everything we've been through. I want to reach out and hold him and tell him how much I love him but it hurts too much for me to move. I can't believe that my best friend is accusing me of something so ridiculous. Does he really think that I'm capable of betraying him like that? That I would actually even remotely want to be with anyone else in the world besides him?! I try to hold back my tears but begin to cry uncontrollably instead.

"You should go," I say after I manage to gain some control of my crying._  
_

"Sunny..." he replies gently.

It seems like his anger has faded now but I don't care. I just _really_ don't want to be around him right now.

"_Please_, just go," I insist as I wipe the tears from my face.

But he doesn't.

Instead, he stays and cleans up the mess he made in my kitchen. I pretend he's not there and get ready for bed, though I don't kick him out. I've never seen him so angry before and, to be honest, it's _really_ scary. Plus, my arm still hurts from when he grabbed me.

I climb into my bed where Zuko is sleeping (well, pretending to sleep at least since I know he's not actually asleep) and cuddle up against him. As usual, he holds me in his arms.

I begin to cry again.

Maybe he's right... maybe he _does _need someone who can actually be here with him more often than I can. He holds me tighter as I continue to cry but he doesn't try to talk to me or anything. Perhaps he's thinking the same thing?

I don't know.

I just wish there was _something_ we could do to make us right.


	27. Part 3: Ch 3: The Fire Lady

**Zuko**

The next morning, I wake up and find that Sunny is gone. She must have left early so she didn't have to talk to me in the morning. I gather my things and sneak back into the palace.

"Fire Lord Zuko," General Mak greets me as I walk into my office. "Your 8AM is in the War Room."

"Okay, thanks," I reply and then head over to the meeting.

I sit down at the head of the table and see that the Ping Yao team is sitting before me, Sunny and that stupid General from yesterday included. They go over the next steps and ask for my approval to proceed. I approve their suggestions though I'm so distracted by my own thoughts that I don't really know what I'm agreeing to. I'm sure it can't be _that_ bad.

"Please provide a written report for the record," I insist, mostly so that I can read it later.

They oblige and then begin to gather their things to leave.

"Ambassador," I say to Sunny. "Could you please stay behind for a few minutes?"

"Of course, sir," she replies respectfully (as if I'm the Fire Lord and she's my Ambassador as opposed to my beautiful fiance).

I watch as General Stupid tries to read our facial expressions but she's so good at keeping a straight face in front of people, which I find _extremely_ attractive, that he gives up and leaves.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper yesterday," I say after everyone is gone.

"Zuko..." she starts and then walks over and sits down in the chair next to me. "I've been thinking..." she continues but then stops. She looks really upset about something. I feel really bad for getting so angry at her yesterday. I know it was stupid.

"Sweetheart, is something wrong?" I ask though I have a feeling I don't want to know. I watch as she begins to cry. "Sunny?"

I feel my heart break into a million pieces like it does every time I see her cry. Ugh, I hate it when she cries. I reach over to take her hand but she pulls hers away.

"I think you're right," she says after she wipes the tears from her face.

"Right about what?"

"I think you're right that, as the Fire Lord, you need a Fire Lady who could actually be here with you..." she continues.

"What are you implying, Sunny?" Is she going to step down as my Ambassador? Though, if it hurts her so much to do so, I wouldn't want her to step down. I'm sure we can post-pone the wedding until the Ping Yao mission is complete.

"Well, I don't think it's fair that you have to be with someone who can't devote all of her time to you," she continues. "And that's something that I clearly cannot do right now," she adds and then starts to cry again.

"Sunny, it's okay," I reach up and wipe the tears from her face. "I know I've been acting really crazy lately and I'm sorry. I understand that you have responsibilities as the Ambassador and, as the Fire Lord, I'm glad that you are taking those responsibilities so seriously. I'm sorry that I hurt you yesterday. I was really angry though I know that's not an excuse," I explain and wish that I didn't say or do everything that I did yesterday. But, unfortunately, I did.

**Sunny**

I feel the tears continue to flow down my face as I think about how horrible he must feel about what happened last night. I want to tell him that it's okay and that everything is fine but it isn't.

"Zuko..." I start again but am sidetracked by the thoughts in my head. I wish, more than anything, that I could be the person he needs me to be. But I'm just not at a point in my life where I feel that it is right for me to give up my work to marry him and live 'happily' in the palace together. "It's not about what happened last night, though I think it did help me realize some things."

"Sunny, I love you," he says desperately.

I love you too, Zuko, I think to myself though I don't say it to him since that would probably really confuse him.

"I'm not the person you need me to be and I'm not sure if I ever will be," I say instead.

"Sunny, you are _exactly_ the person I need and if you need to finish your work before we can get married, then I'll wait. I'll wait as long as it takes. We're young anyways so it's not like we need to rush into it," he pleads.

Honestly, he makes a really good point. We _are_ young and we _can_ wait. But what if I never get there? What if I'm cursed to travel the world forever, never being able to settle in any one place? I can't ask him to wait for me to be ready and I love him too much to let him do that.

"No, Zuko. You are the Fire Lord and eventually you'll need an heir and a woman who can stay at home and take care of your children while you're taking care of _our_ nation. You have to think about your future and your people," I state as calmly as I possibly can.

He doesn't reply though I can tell he's thinking about it.

"I'm also willing to step down as your Ambassador if you think it may help..." I add as I place the necklace and ring that he gave on the desk. I'm sure Earth King Kuei has some interesting and meaningful work that I could do.

He looks down at the items on the desk and then pretends like he didn't see them. I can tell by the expression on his face that he's really hurt and I wish that I could take it all back; that I could tell him how much I _really_ love him and want to be with him; that I could just throw away my life and marry him.

But I don't.

"You can't step down. I... I mean, _the nation_ needs you." He sounds so sad that I want to cry again.

Zuko, please don't be sad. I know it hurts right now but eventually you will find someone who will be able to love you better than I can, I think to myself. I want to tell him everything that I'm feeling right now and to confide in my best friend about the conflicting desires of my heart. But I know I can't. I know that, if I did tell him everything, it would just make it worse.

"Okay," I say and then gather my things to leave.

But, before I can even stand up, he takes my hand and gently pulls me back into my chair. I watch as he takes the ring and puts it into his pocket and then picks up the necklace and gives it back to me.

"Please, keep this," he says as he puts the necklace in my hand. "I meant it when I gave it to you and hope that someday you'll let me give you back your ring as well."

"Zuko, please. I can't," I reply. "It's your mother's..." I know how much his mother means to him and how sentimental the necklace is so I can't possibly keep it.

"Sunny, please. Just take it," he says firmly as he lets go of my hand.

"Okay," I relent and then get up and leave as quickly as I possibly can so that I don't break down in front of him and decide to take everything that I just said back.

I clench his mother's necklace in my hand as I think back about how naive I was when I accepted it over two years ago. What was I thinking?! I knew for a fact that I could not be with the Fire Lord so why did I let us get to this point? Why didn't I stop myself before we could get so attached to each other? Why did I even take this stupid job as his Ambassador when I knew damn well that it would be impossible for me to resist falling completely in love with him? I wish I could take it all back but I know that I cannot. I'm so mad at myself because my lack of self-control has caused me to hurt the one person that I care about the most in this world - my _best friend._

And now, I'll never be able to love anyone else ever again.

But, I have to be strong. I can't make the same mistakes I've made again. Perhaps one day destiny will allow me to settle in one place. And perhaps, when that day comes, I could beg him to take me back and to forgive me for the mess I've made of our love.

I'm sorry Zuko. I'm _so _sorry.

* * *

_Inspiration for this chapter comes from the lyrics to the song 'Just Give Me a Reason' by Pink_

_Right from the start  
You were a thief you stole my heart  
And I your willing victim  
I let you see the parts of me  
That weren't all that pretty  
And with every touch you fixed them  
Now you've been talking in your sleep  
Things you never say to me  
Tell me that you've had enough  
Of our love, our love_

_Just give me a reason_  
_Just a little bit's enough_  
_Just a second we're not broken just bent_  
_And we can learn to love again_  
_It's in the stars_  
_It's been written in the scars on our hearts_  
_We're not broken just bent_  
_And we can learn to love again_


	28. Part 3: Ch 4: The Campsite

**Sunny**

After five months in Ping Yao, the team has finally successfully gathered enough information to leave this dreadful city.

It's kind of strange how when we first arrived I sort of wished that this mission would never end. But, after Zuko and I broke up, I suddenly felt like I didn't want to be here at all. Though, lately, I can't say that I actually _want_ to be _anywhere_. I thought that breaking up with Zee would help me focus on my work without constantly wanting to go home and be with him but it seems like the longer I'm away from him the more I want to just go home.

Life is just so dull without him. And the work that I used to value and enjoy so much suddenly seems so meaningless and mundane.

Plus, I'm just really sad that I can't talk to my best friend when I feel like it. I mean, Azula has been nice enough to spend most of her free time with me when I'm in Ba Sing Se but, let's be honest here, she's not very comforting at times.

Sigh, I miss Zuko so much that sometimes I think I'm going to go insane.

I just want to go _home_.

But I know I can't. I know that I've made too much of a mess of our relationship for it to ever go back to the way it was. I mean, who just walks out on their wonderful, amazing, loving, sweet fiance?!

Maybe I'm already crazy.

I touch the necklace he gave me and begin to cry as I think about how much I wish I didn't ruin everything. Why did I leave the only person I've ever loved?! What was I thi-

"Hey you, ready for dinner?" General Zhang's asks as he pops his head into my office, interrupting my thoughts.

"Oh, hey. Yeah." I wipe the tears from my face and pretend that everything's okay.

"Crying again?"

"No..." I lie though, considering he's not blind, I'm sure he can clearly see that I'm lying. Plus, it's not like he doesn't randomly catch me crying at work like every day anyways (though, not literally of course. It's more like every few days to be precise). I don't know why I even try to lie to him about it. I guess I just sort of wish he'd leave me alone.

"Right. Of course not," he says sarcastically, but in a nice way.

We walk down his favorite restaurant on the pier by the beach and are seated on the patio in a booth that overlooks the ocean. I stare at the sunset on the horizon and imagine that I'm back in the Sun Chief's island bungalow with Zuko.

Ugh, I _need _to stop thinking about him!

I shake the thought of Zee from my head and force myself to try and focus on the moment instead. It's been three months since we've broken up and, besides the Ping Yao status updates I provide, I rarely see him. From what Suki tells me, he seems to be doing okay. So it's probably best for me to just get over it.

The waitress comes and I order the sea-trout (Zuko's favorite).

We talk about our mission tomorrow and he tells me about his 'brilliant idea' as to how we can infiltrate the Loyalist's camp, find their leader, and interrogate him (or her). Blah blah blah.

Our food comes and he changes the subject.

"So, do you think you'll ever date again?" he asks. His question is so direct that it makes me kind of uncomfortable.

"Maybe." Though, considering all I can think about is Zuko, it's probably not going to be very fair for whoever I would date.

"That's good. I think perhaps it would help you move on if you gave someone new a try," he suggests.

"Right..." I can tell where he's going with this and would really prefer not to have this conversation so I pretend to suddenly be completely distracted by my food. He must think I'm _so_ weird. But I don't care. I sort of just want to finish dinner so I can go back to my hotel room and be miserable by myself.

"Perhaps you'd give me a chance to try and make you happy, Sunny," he insists after I finish picking at but not actually eating my food.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," I hear myself say though I'm actually thinking more along the lines of: 'Thank you but no one could ever possibly make me happy besides Zuko. And you're clearly not Zuko so, no thank you.' or 'Thanks but I've already successfully ruined my life so I think I'd prefer to continue to be sad and alone by myself.'

He finishes eating and I let him walk me home though I would sort of prefer him to just go away. Politely, I thank him for dinner and then go upstairs and cry myself to sleep.

The next morning, we head out to the campsite where some Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom troops are already set up. We spend the morning meeting the troops and then wait for the members of the Joint Tactical Leadership Committee to arrive from their respective nations before we head into a strategy meeting.

Blah blah blah, they begin to discuss General Zhang's 'brilliant idea' but half way through the meeting, we are disturbed by one of the Fire Nation Sergeants.

"Fire Lord Zuko has arrived," he announces and then steps out of the tent.

I feel my heart drop as Zuko enters the tent. He's in his typical Fire Lord outfit and has a pretty serious look on his face as he scans the room to see who is present. I look away before he catches me staring and pretend to read the 'notes' that I've scribbled on my notepad.

Ugh, what is he doing here!?

Though... I suppose he is usually pretty involved in major military operations so I guess it makes sense that he'd show up. I just wish I didn't have to see him right now. I mean, I can barely hold myself together when he's not around so I can't imagine having to pretend like everything's okay with him in the tent next to me or something.

**Zuko**

I step into the tent and see that the Tactical Committee has already started the meeting. I guess they didn't realize I was on my way. Oh well. They re-cap the plan - the best firebender and the best earthbender will sneak into the Loyalist's camp tomorrow to collect intelligence and, depending on the report, we will attack or whatever the day after.

"Sounds like a pretty solid plan to me," I say after I listen to them describe it in more detail than necessary. "So, I guess Ambassador Sunshine is going with whomever you choose from the Earth Kingdom then."

"That's a cute nickname," General Mak comments.

Oops, I can't believe I just called her 'Ambassador Sunshine' in front of the whole committee. Ugh, I'm so stupid! I look over at her to see if she caught my mistake but she didn't seem to notice. She just continues to scribble notes on her notepad. What could possibly be interesting enough for her to be taking notes about?! I stare at her for a moment, admiring how pretty she looks in her green dress, but then force myself to look away before the committee starts to think I'm crazy or something.

"Well, Toph is here so she will go with," General How says.

"Great, then it's settled," I respond and then get up and step out of the tent.

Woah, that was weird. I know Sunny broke up with me months ago but, for some reason, I still feel like we're together. I guess I'm just in denial or something. I head back to my tent and lay in bed for a while but then decide that maybe I should go see how she's doing. I know that even though she's the one who broke up with me, it's been really hard for her so I hope she's doing okay. I wish she'd just talk to me so we could work something out together. I hate the idea of her being so miserable.

I knock on her tent door and she opens it.

"Yes?" she says when she sees that it's me. She looks irritated.

"Oh, just... never mind," I say and then turn around to go back to my tent.

I shouldn't have come.

"Zee... I..." I hear her say as I begin to walk towards my tent. Her voice is so sad and so sweet that I feel my heart break as she calls out to me. I miss her so much that I can't stand to turn around and look at her in her cute robe and slippers. "I mean, is there something you need Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Just making sure you're okay with going with Toph tomorrow," I lie, still facing the other way. "I didn't mean to volunteer you but you _are _the best firebender we've got."

I know it's weird to talk to someone with your back to them but I don't dare to turn around because I'm sure, if I do, I wouldn't be able to control myself. I'd probably kiss her or something and that would be _really_ inappropriate.

"Yes, we'll be fine," she says and then goes back into her tent.

I turn around after I hear her tent door close and stare at it for a while. I fiddle with her ring, which I keep in my pocket whenever I travel, and think back about our trip to the Sun Warrior's ancient city together. I shouldn't have pushed her to get married. I should have waited for things to settle down with the Loyalists or whatever.

Maybe we'd still be together if I didn't rush her.

I wish I didn't.

I head back to my tent and imagine that she is there next to me, in my arms, as I fall asleep alone.

The next morning, Sunny and Toph head into the Loyalist's camp.


	29. Part 3: Ch 5: No One But You

**Zuko**

We wait all day for Sunny and Toph to return from their mission but they don't. By dinner time, I begin to worry that something may have happened to them. They _definitely_ should have returned by now and it seems the committee thinks so too considering they call an emergency meeting after dinner.

"Sunny and Toph should have returned by now, so I fear that perhaps the worst has happened," General How starts off.

"Well then, what are we waiting for then? We _need_ to go and find them," I reply.

"Without the intelligence we were supposed to get from them, there's no way to know what we'll be getting ourselves into, sir," General Zhang replies. "Perhaps we shou-"

"If _my_ Ambassador and Toph are in danger, I don't really care what I'm getting myself into," I say, annoyed that we are sitting around having a meeting rather than going after them. "We _need_ to go after them. I'll go by myself if I have to."

"Zuko," General How replies. "I know that you really care about Sunny. And you out of all people know that she is like a daughter to me. But I think what General Zhang is trying saying here is that we have to think this through."

I know he's right. But what if Sunny and Toph are in danger?! I can't just sit around 'thinking things through' while something really bad could potentially be happening to them!

"Right. What do you suggest we do then?" I ask as calmly as I possibly can.

"We may-" General How begins but is interrupted by someone barging into the tent.

"Zuko!"

I turn around to the sound of Toph's voice.

"Toph, you're okay?!" I ask as I get up and hug her.

"Yes. But Sunny... they have Sunny," she says frantically.

"What!? What happened, Toph?" I feel myself begin to lose it.

"Well, we infiltrated the camp and found that there are about forty or fifty strong benders there. We moved around without a problem for most of the time but, when we approached the center of the camp, we were captured. They tied us up in chains and we were put into separate tents. I was able to metalbend myself out but I couldn't find Sunny so I came back here as quickly as I could to let you all know."

"We should leave immediately," I say after I hear Toph's story. I think about Sunny being held captive in the Loyalist's camp and begin to fear for the worse. What if they are torturing her for information?!

"Zuko, normally I'd agree with you, but I don't think that's a good idea," Toph replies.

"Why not, what if they hurt her Toph?!" I scream. Why does it seem like no one cares if Sunny gets seriously hurt but me?!

"I know. It's bad... but they have some pretty powerful earthbenders over there, which means that in the dark they have the advantage since they can _feel _you coming whereas you can't even see them!" Toph makes a good point but I really don't care. I have to do something.

"But Toph, what if they hurt her?" I ask again more calmly now.

"Zuko, that's exactly why I think we should go tomorrow as the sun rises when most of their camp will be asleep. Then, we will have the best chance at actually getting her out of there."

"Toph, I don't think you understand. I can't live without Sunny!" I finally admit despite the fact that we're in front of the entire committee.

"Believe me, I know. I can feel you freaking out in there," she says as she points right at my heart.

Right. I forget that Toph can feel people's emotions. _Weird._

"Fine," I relent and then go to my tent to try and get some rest before we head out in the morning.

**Sunny**

I wonder if Toph is okay? I hope they didn't hurt her as badly as they've hurt me. We tried to fight our way out of being captured but there were just too many of them. They tied me up in this tent and then tried to beat information out of me. Initially, I was able to firebend most of their blows away from me but, with my hands tied so tightly and my mouth gagged, it has became increasingly difficult to bend without hurting myself.

I wonder if this is how Azula felt in that straight jacket...

More come in and try to interrogate me again. Ugh, I will _never_ tell them anything!

"Go to hell," I say when they un-gag my mouth for a moment.

Their leader kicks me in the side and I see myself cough up some blood. Ugh.

"If you don't tell us what we want to know, then I guess we'll just have to kill you," he says after he kicks me a few more times.

Ouch, I wish he would stop that or at least untie me so that we could fight honorably.

Sigh, I guess I'm just going to die here since there's no way I'm going to put my entire camp in danger just because I don't want to get beat anymore. Are these people stupid? Do they really think that I would betray my own people to save myself!?

I think about Zuko and how I wish I didn't break up with him because then at least I would have been able to spend the last three months of my life with him rather than spending it miserably alone.

He stabs me in the side and I feel the warm thick blood drip from my wound as I think about my mother. She must have been in so much pain that day... I guess I'm destined to die as she did.

I feel my mind slipping away as I fall asleep (or pass out is probably more accurate) from exhaustion.

"Sunny?" I wake up to a voice calling my name. "Sunny."

I force my eyes as open as I could get them and see that the sun in out. Ugh, how long have I been out? It feels like it was only a second but it must have been a few hours at least. I look up towards the voice to try and see who they've sent to interrogate me now. The man, who looks like an Earth Kingdom General or something, comes closer. Who is this person and how does he know my name?

Fear grips me as he kneels down in front of me and reaches for my face. I firebend a small flame at him to get him away from me. Ouch, my wrists hurt... and my side... and pretty much my entire body.

"I told you yesterday, you're not going to get any information out of me, so you might as well just kill me." He backs away a little.

"Sunny, it's me, General Zhang," he says as if I know him or something. "We've come to rescue you."

Rescue me!? Yeah right. I bet he's here to interrogate me. He comes closer and, instinctively, I firebend at him again.

Another man enters the tent.

"Is she okay?"

"No. It looks like she's pretty badly hurt and may be a bit delusional," the General guy replies.

Delusional?! _Me_? The man who just walked in comes closer to me and I firebend him away as well. He stands at a safe distance and looks at me as he scribbles on his little notepad.

These Loyalists are _so weird_.

"Sunny, I'm Doctor Tran. I need to examine you to see how badly you've been hurt," he says calmly (_Author's Note: Yes, 'Dr. Tran,' he's a real __doctor. Google 'Here Comes Dr. Tran' for a good laugh if you have no idea what I'm talking about__)._

What a liar! He's just here with this other guy to try and coax information out of me.

Nice try.

"Go to hell," I tell them as I told them last night.

**Zuko**

"Fire Lord Zuko, we found her!" Commander Song says as he runs up to me.

He points to a tent near the middle of the camp and I run towards it as fast as I can. I stop before I enter the tent and then carefully open the door as the doctor comes out in a hurry.

"Doctor Tran, is she okay?"

"I'm not sure. She won't let _anyone_ close enough to her to be able to tell. She even burned my arm!" He shows me his arm where she burnt him.

It's not _that_ bad.

"It'll heal," I say and then go inside.

I see General Zhang sitting on the floor near her but far enough so that she won't burn his arms off as well.

"Sunny?" I say as I approach her carefully.

She looks terrible. Bruises and dried blood covers her face, arms, and the side of her body where it looks like someone may have stabbed her.

"Sunny..." I whisper to her as I get closer.

"Zuko," she replies, looking up at me.

I feel my heart break and a tear begin to come down my face as I look into her beautiful golden eyes. I can't believe they did this to her. What kind of evil bastards would do something so horrible to my beautiful, sweet, Sunshine?!

She wipes the tear from my cheek. "I'm sorry. Zee. I'm so sorry."

"Sweetheart, don't strain yourself," I kiss her gently on the forehead. She reaches for me as I bend down to examine the wound on her side.

"Zuko, I'm so scared," she whispers as she wraps her arms around my neck.

"It's okay Sunshine, I'm here. You're going to be okay," I reassure her as I reassure myself at the same time. I signal General Zhang to go get the doctor again. He returns with a stretcher and I pick her up and place her on it so we can move her back to our camp.

We get her to the medical-tent and the doctor gives her some medication to help with the pain as he begins to examine her wounds.

"I'm going to have to cut these clothes off," he says, signaling me to leave the room.

"Oh okay," I reply and then turn to Sunny, "I'm going to be right outside okay?"

"No. Zee, please don't go."

"Sunny, you're safe now. The doctor is going to take care of you. I'm just going to stand right outside the tent as the doctor takes your clothes off to examine you, okay?" I say to reassure her that I'm not going to go very far.

"No, please. Don't leave me here. I'm scared," she pleads.

"Sweetheart, you're going to be okay."

"_Please_, Zuko. Please don't go," she begs as she begins to cry.

Ugh, I can't stand it when she cries.

"Okay, love. Don't cry, please. Don't cry. I'm here," I relent and then reach down and hold her hand as the doctor continues his work.

I look away as he removes all of her clothes except for the necklace that she's wearing, my necklace.

I hurts so much to see her like this...

After a few minutes, the pain medication kicks in and she passes out.

"I'm sorry about that, sir. She's a little delusional right now," the doctor says after she goes out.

"Is she going to be okay?" I ask, ignoring his comment about her being delusional.

"Yes. It looks like the wounds aren't too deep though I'm thinking it may take some time before she's all there again," he replies, pointing to his head (referring to her psychological state of course).

"Right." I sit down on the chair next to her bed.

He finishes dressing her wounds and then steps out of the tent. I stay for a while and watch her sleep. I know it's horrible for me to think this but I wish I really did fire her when I had a chance. Then at least she'd be safe. I put my cloak over her and then go outside to see if anyone has made any progress on the Loyalists we've arrested from the camp.

I speak with Commander Song, who seems to be the expert at getting information out of Loyalists, and then spend the rest of the day interrogating our prisoners until it is time for dinner.

I make myself a plate of food, piling on some extras for Sunny, and then return to Sunny's tent to eat with her (if she can even eat that is). But, when I get to her tent, the guard outside informs me that General Zhang has been watching her for the past few hours.

What is _he_ doing here?

"How is she?" I ask when I see him sitting by her side.

"Okay I guess," he replies. "She's been asking for you."

"Oh." I put my food down and check on her. She seems to be sleeping peacefully now. "Thanks, General."

He's silent.

I watch as he stares at her in a way that I wish he wouldn't. It seems like he really cares about her. I guess they've become pretty good _friends_ in Ping Yao. I wish he would just leave so I could be alone with her.

"So, I'm guessing you're the one, huh?" he asks after a while.

"The one, what?" I have no idea what he's talking about and would really prefer not to talk to him.

"The one she's been crying over for the past three months."

I feel my heart break as I hear his words. _Crying over for the past three months_? I don't understand. I didn't realize how much it hurt her to leave me. And, I wonder, if it hurt her so much why did she do it? Perhaps she really truly believes that she can't be the Fire Lady that I need her to be?

I look down at her still peacefully asleep in her bed and, for the first time, I wish we had never met. Then at least she'd be safe and perhaps even happy.

I stay by her side for the next few days, until she is coherent again.

Then, I leave.

* * *

_Inspired by the lyrics of the song 'If I Never Knew You' by Disney_

_If I never knew you  
If I never felt this love  
I would have no inkling of  
How precious life can be_

_And if I never held you_  
_I would never have a clue_  
_How at last I'd find in you_  
_The missing part of me_

_In this world so full of fear_  
_Full of rage and lies_  
_I can see the truth so clear_  
_In your eyes_  
_So dry your eyes_

_And I'm so grateful to you_  
_I'd have lived my whole life through_  
_Lost forever_  
_If I never knew you_

_If I never knew you_  
_I'd be safe but half as real_  
_Never knowing I could feel_  
_A love so strong and true_

_I thought our love would be so beautiful  
Somehow we'd make the whole world bright  
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong  
all they'd leave us were these wispers in the night  
But still my heart is saying we were right_


	30. Part 3: Ch 6: Tian Jian

**Sunny**

I arrive early to the meeting with Earth King Kuei, General How, and Zuko. It's been about six weeks since I was captured and I'm starting to feel like myself again. General Zhang and I continued to date for a couple of weeks after the incident but he eventually broke it off because he was convinced that I'm still in love with Zuko. I'm not sure how he knows it was Zuko since I'm pretty sure I never told him about us but whatever. Maybe I just need more time before I can date again without constantly thinking about Zee.

I enter the Earth King's conference room and find that Earth King Kuei and General How are already there.

"Hi," I say as I sit down at the table, across from them.

"Ambassador, it's so nice to see you. I'm glad you're okay," Earth King Kuei says as I pour myself a glass of water.

"Thanks, Earth King."

Zuko comes in after a few seconds and sits down next to me.

"Thanks for the water, Sunshine," he says as he steals my water. Hey! That was totally mine. Ugh, whatever. I pour myself another glass. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, Zuko," General How starts, "from the intelligence we got out of the Ping Yao Loyalists, we think that the main group and their leader is hiding out in Tian Jian, an Earth Kingdom city not far from here."

"Great, let's go get them then," Zuko replies.

Typical. Let's go in blazing and burn down the whole city while we're at it why don't we?!

"Actually, we were thinking a more subtle approach would be better. Since we don't know who their leaders are, it would be very difficult to take them out without first identifying them," I explain.

"Right," Earth King Kuei chimes in. "I think the best course of action is for us to go undercover."

"Great idea Earth King Kuei. Maybe you and can Sunny could go," Zuko suggests sarcastically.

He's in a weird mood today.

"Okay, we all know Earth King Kuei is not going to go undercover," General How replies. I'm glad father is so reasonable and clear-headed.

"I was actually thinking that perhaps you and Sunny should go," the Earth King suggests to Zuko.

"Yes. Perhaps you two can go as brother and sister or something," General How says in agreement.

"Sure," Zuko relies. "How long do you anticipate it will require that I am away from Capital City?"

"Well, since we aren't expected to actually find and take out the Loyalist leaders in this first phase, I would estimate about two weeks for us to gather enough information for me to go undercover and then perhaps join their group," I say.

"Two weeks should be fine. I'm sure Uncle would be okay with stepping in as the interim Fire Lord again for two weeks."

"Great, then we're set," I reply.

"I think so. But I'm starting to think..." Earth King Kuei says as he stares at Zuko and I. "It's kind of hard to believe that you two are brother and sister when you look so different. Perhaps husband and wife would make more sense?"

I look over at Zuko to see if he's going to object before I do but he doesn't.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" General How asks.

Thanks father. I guess Earth King Kuei doesn't realize how freaking awkward that would be for Zuko and I.

"It's fine," Zuko says as he looks over at me. Umm, why is he agreeing to this?! I feel like I'm in some sort of alternate universe or something where everyone is conspiring to make my life as awkward as it possibly could get! "Well, I mean, it's fine with me if it's okay with the Ambassador of course," he adds.

"I guess so... though I suppose we'd have to come up with some sort of believable story," I say in attempt to deter him from this stupid plan.

"Well, we can just tell people we met in Ba Sing Se at my Uncle's tea shop where I fell in love with you. And, after two years, I proposed and you said yes," he relays a pretty familiar story.

I glare at him, annoyed, and then roll my eyes. "Whatever."

"Okay, then we're good to go I suppose," Earth King Kuei replies and then gets up and leaves.

"You'll be fine," General How reassures me before he follows the Earth King out.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I ask Zuko after they leave.

"What are you talking about, sweetheart? It's just a mission," he says with a smile.

Ugh, I love his smile.

"Well, I think we'll need to be a bit more specific than your lame story."

"It's not lame. It's the _truth_. I just left out the part where you leave me." I can see a flicker of rage flare up in his eyes as he talks about me leaving him. I'm sorry Zee! Maybe this is just payback for everything I've put him through. Sigh, I know I shouldn't have let it get so far.

"Bitter much?" I reply as I gather my things and leave.

**Zuko**

The next morning, I show up at Sunny's house in my green Earth Kingdom disguise. As much as this mission is probably going to be super awkward, I'm kind of excited to be spending the next two weeks with Sunny as her 'husband.'

Though, I sort of wish she really was my wife.

She didn't seem too thrilled about our mission but I'm sure she'll turn around. Perhaps it could even be fun.

I knock on her door and she opens it but doesn't let me in. Instead, she immediately grabs her stuff and gets on her dog-horse. She looks annoyed but I think it's kind of cute. Plus, her green dress looks really nice on her.

We ride out to Tian Jian and, as we approach the gates, we dismount our dog-horses and I take her hand.

"Travel papers and reason for your visit," the guard says dully as we get to the gate.

"Good morning, sir. My name is Lee and this is my beautiful wife, Sunny," I say as I hand him our travel papers. "We own a tea shop in Ba Sing Se and have come to Tian Jian to try some new blends."

"Okay, whatever," the guard replies and then hands us back our travel papers.

We head into town and do some shopping as we begin to gather information from the various people we meet along the way. We have dinner at the famous hand-peeled noodle place in Tian Jian before we head over to the local pub for a few drinks (though we are obviously there to collect information rather than get trashed or something of course). We sit by the bar and decide to try and work up a relationship with the bar tender. Bar tenders know _everyone_ and _everything_ that happens in a town. So, we figured this would be the best place to start.

He's a guy so I let Sunny work her magic. I'm sure she could get anything she wants from any guy (well, if the guy is anything like me that is). I admire her beauty as she sits down and orders a drink.

**Sunny**

"Put that charm of yours to use," Zuko says before he steps away and leaves me to the bartender.

Ugh, why does he have to be so subtly sweet?

The bar tender and I talk about the city, where I'm from, and what I'm doing in town before I start 'venting' to him about how lousy the Fire Lord is.

"I'm sorry, you probably hear this crap all day, huh?" I ask in an attempt to try and get some information out of him.

"Yeah, well there's a pretty big population of people who would probably agree with you around here."

"Oh really? I just wish there was something I could do about it, like overthrow that lousy Fire Lord or something. I bet his sister, Azula, would make a _much_ better Fire Lord."

"Well, there's a pretty important meeting coming up you know? Maybe I'll see you there," he says as he slips me a card and then leaves to tend to other people.

Got it!

I pay for my drinks and then get up to leave but the room starts to spin as I stand up. Weird. The room totally wasn't spinning when I sat down. I try to grab the stool I was just sitting on but I miss.

"Woah, are you okay?" Zuko asks as he catches me before I topple over onto the disgustingly sticky floor.

"Yeah. Thanks, love," I reply and then lean by body against his to balance myself.

He helps me outside and then picks me up and carries me in his arms back to the hotel.

"Gosh I love you," I say as he puts me down on the bed.

He smiles at me and then asks if I want to wash up before he hits the shower.

"No. But I think I'm going to puke." I get up and run to the bathroom. I throw up into the toilet as he holds my hair back so my puke doesn't get all over it.

"Don't drink much, huh?" he asks as I get into the shower.

"Nope. Don't like the taste," I reply. "But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do right?"

"Sure."

He waits until I'm finished showering and then hops in the shower himself.

I lay awake in the bed, waiting for him to come out of the shower. I look over and watch him as he comes out of the bathroom in his pajama pants. Gosh he gets better looking every time I see him. Or maybe it's just the alcohol talking (well, thinking). He lays down on the couch and then turns the light off to go to bed.

"Goodnight, Sunshine," he says before turning over to sleep.

"Zee?" I say as I lay alone in the gigantic bed.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you sleeping on the couch?"

"Well, because... I don't want to bother you, that's all." I wish he'd just climb into bed and hold me like he's done so many times before. But then I remember that we aren't together anymore, except during the day when we have to pretend to be husband and wife.

"Okay," I say after a while. "But maybe _I_ should sleep on the couch instead? I mean, I can't have the Fire Lord sleeping on a couch when I'm in a comfortable bed here."

"Sunny, you're probably not feeling too well from the alcohol so it's fine. Maybe tomorrow we can switch." Ugh, why is he being so difficult?!

"Zee, can you please just come here?" I ask, cutting the crap.

I listen as he gets up and walks over to the bed. I feel my heart flutter as he gets in.

"Thanks," I say and then turn my back away from him to refrain myself from natural inclination to cuddle him.

"Sunny?" he says after some time.

"Yes?"

"Did you mean what you said before?" he asks.

"What did I say?" Umm... I think I said a lot of things today so I'm not sure what he's referring to. I hope he's not referring to me telling the bartender that I think Azula would make a better Fire Lord than him. I'm pretty sure he knows I was just saying that as part of the act.

"Never mind."

"Come on, what did I say, Zee?" I'm sure he didn't ask for no reason.

"Well, you said that you love me. But I'm guessing it was just a spur of the moment thing or something..." I feel my heart break as I think about how much I really do love him and can't live without him. I wish I could turn back time and un-break-up with him but I know I can't. What's done is done and I don't expect him to just take me back after all the pain I've caused him.

"Zuko, I never stopped loving you," I admit after a while.

He's silent.

"I mean, even after I... never mind. Forget it." I wish I didn't tell him the truth because now it's probably even more awkward and confusing than it was before. I close my eyes and try to go to sleep but I feel him roll over and hug me. The sadness of never actually being able to be with him again is so overwhelming that I begin to cry.

"Sunny, please don't cry. It hurts so much when you cry," he whispers as he holds me tighter.

"Zuko, I just wish..." I start but then my voice trails off as I begin to cry harder.

I turn around and bury myself in his chest.

"I know, sweetheart. I wish we could be together as well. But, hey, we're technically together right now, right? I mean, Earth King Kuei has kind of forced us to be husband and wife for the next two weeks. So maybe we can live out our dreams together while we're here in Tian Jian? Then, perhaps, we can figure out a way to move on," he suggests.

"Zuko, we shouldn't. I've already made such a mess of our relationship and I'm sure this would just make it worse."

"I promise I won't bother you about it afterwards," he adds, ignoring my rationalizing of why we shouldn't.

It's a _really bad_ idea. I know that if I let myself love him as much as I really do inside, I will never be able to get over him. I mean it's already so bad as it is. I can't imagine having to move on after spending two weeks 'married' to him. I look up into his eyes and think about how amazing of a man he is. If only I could actually be with him.

"It's not a good id-" I begin to object but then he kisses me. As usual, I fall in love with him all over again and I kiss him back. "I love you," I say instead of the 'That's really not a good idea.' that I was going to say.

"I love you too," he says as he continues to kiss me.

I push him over and climb on top of him. I can't control myself anymore. I kiss him deeply as I press my body against his.

"Sunny?"

"Yes, love?" I reply as I continue to kiss him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Zee, I'm yours. I've been yours for a very long time now and I don't just mean my heart. I mean everything. Everything that I am is yours," I say as I continue to kiss him.

We make love and then I fall asleep in his arms.

If only this was real.


	31. Part 2: Ch 7: Fear and Destiny

**Zuko**

The next morning, I wake up to the most amazing dream I've ever had.

I dreamed that Sunny and I were married and that we were here in Tian Jian for vacation rather than on a mission to find the Loyalist leaders attempting to overthrow me. I think about it as I stare up at the ceiling and imagine her on top of me. If only it were true. If only she was actually my wife and that I could make love to her like I did in my dream last night.

I roll over onto my side and admire her as she continues to sleep next to me. She looks so peaceful curled up on her side facing me with one arm outside of the blanket. From what I can see, her robe had come undone, at least on the side where her arm is sticking out.

Maybe it wasn't a dream?

I reach over and gently move some loose strands of hair off of her face as she wakes up. Slowly, she opens her eyes and smiles at me with the most beautiful smile in the world.

"Good morning, love," she says and then reaches over and kisses me.

Maybe I'm _still_ dreaming?

I pinch myself to see if I'm awake. I am. Maybe this pinching thing doesn't really work.

I reach under the blanket and run my hands down her back as I return her kiss. Her skin is soft and warm like smooth sand on a desolate beach gently kissed by the sun. I close my eyes as I run my hands back up her back and then look into her eyes. Her eyes, soft and sweet, seem to smile at me as she closes them and then rolls over onto her back. Gently, I move my hand over her side where her wound from a few weeks ago has scabbed over.

"Does it still hurt?" I ask out of curiosity. I think back about that day when we found her in the tent. I still can't believe how badly she was hurt.

"Not really. It's pretty much healed by now though the doctor says it'll definitely leave a scar." From her tone of voice, I can tell that she's a little upset about it.

"Well, I like your scar," I say in an attempt to make her feel better about it.

She turns to look over at me and then smiles. Her smile is so warm and accepting that, instinctively, I smile back.

"And I like yours," she replies. Right. I totally forgot about my scar. It's weird, when I'm with her I forget that I even have a scar. I guess I just feel so comfortable with her that it slips my mind.

Slowly, I peel my hands off of her before I get too carried away and then get up and hop in the shower. To my surprise, she joins me. There's _no way_ I'm not dreaming right now.

Afterwards, we get dressed and then head downstairs for breakfast. We talk about how well yesterday went (in terms of the mission of course) and then begin to plan for the next two weeks here. She takes out a card that the bartender had slipped her yesterday and passes it to me. Apparently the Loyalists are having a meeting three weeks from now right here in Tian Jian.

Perfect!

"Wow, you're good." I hand the card back to her.

"Well it was your idea," she replies with a smile. She's so beautiful that I want to take her back upstairs and-

"So, what should we do with the rest of the time we have here?" she asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"Oh, whatever you want, sweetheart," I reply since I'm sure she probably doesn't want to know what _I'd_ like to do with the rest of our time here.

"Hmm... shop, eat, and play?" she suggests, reading off the title of a brochure she found in the lobby. "There seems to be quite a lot of things to do here in Tian Jian."

"Sure," I say, pretending to be interested in whatever she's looking at.

We spend the next two weeks exploring the city, having tea, and making love. I like the last part the most of course, though I know at some point it will all come to an end and I'll have to go back to my dreary life without her.

After our two weeks are up, we head back to Ba Sing Se where she prepares a report for the Earth King and General How. I decide to stay with her since I have to attend the update meeting in two days anyways. Plus, I sort of don't want our time together to come to an end. We arrive at her house late in the afternoon and she spends the next few hours working on her report. I go over to the market and grab some ingredients to cook her dinner. It's really nice to just be at 'home' with my 'wife' and she's so cute when she works that I don't mind that she doesn't talk to me too much throughout the afternoon.

She reviews the report with me as we eat and then we head to bed. I stay in her guest room since I promised her I wouldn't bother her after our two weeks of being 'married' is up.

The next day, we decide to spend the morning at the Ba Sing Se Zoo that Aang had helped build and then head into the city for dinner at Koi Palace. We think about visiting Uncle but then decide that perhaps tomorrow would be better. No offense to Uncle but I sort of just want to be alone with Sunny right now.

We head back home after dinner and I wash up and then lay in my bed in her guest room thinking about her. I can't believe I just spent the past two weeks 'married' to the most beautiful woman in the world. And I can't possibly just let her walk out the door without at least trying to convince her to stay, can I? Can I truly just let these two weeks go and leave her forever etched in my memory like some brokenhearted dream?

I don't think so.

Maybe I should go talk to her. I walk over to her room and sneak in quietly. She's asleep when I get there so I climb into her bed.

**Sunny**

I wake up from my sleep as I feel Zuko get into bed next to me.

"Zee," I whisper as he wraps his arms around me. It feels so good to be in his arms that I feel myself melt into him.

"Sunny, I've been thinking..." he starts.

"Oh? What is it, love?" I've been thinking a lot lately as well. I know I should never have agreed to be 'married' to him the past two weeks because now I can't imagine my life without him.

How can I move on with my life after leaving someone who means so much to me; who I love so dearly; and who has so completely and utterly changed my life? Will I ever stop loving him? Even years later, will I still love him? What does it even mean to actually let someone go? Does it mean not loving them anymore or does it simply mean that I should accept the fact that he is gone but that I can still love him? Is it truly unfair to the next person I'm with to still love someone who is completely and totally out of my life or is it unfair to myself not to love him just because he is gone?

But could he ever really be completely out of my life? Perhaps if I quit this job I could move on easier. I mean, ever since I was captured by the Loyalists, I've been starting to feel like maybe I really should quit. Maybe Zuko was right that it's not good for me to constantly be in such dangerous situations. Maybe I should quit after this mission is over and move back here to Ba Sing Se. Perhaps I could work for the Earth King or something?

I have no idea. I wish I knew what I should do; what I _could_ do.

"You know how you said that I need a wife who can be with me in Capital City and take care of my children and stuff?" he continues.

"Yeah..." Him bringing it up makes it hurt even more despite the fact that I've been thinking about it non-stop since the day I left him.

"Well, I realize now that you're wrong. I realize that what I _really_ need is a wife who cares enough about our nation to be willing to give up anything and everything for the good of it's people," he says. "What I really need is you."

"Zuko, please," I start gently but then suddenly find myself at a loss for words. What do I even say to that? "I don't know."

"Sunny, do you really want to be out here in the field for the rest of your life? I mean, what if you get hurt? Like last time... I was so afraid that... well, you know. And, even though you don't want to be with me, I don't want you out here anymore. Please, I can't stand the thought of something happening to you again."

"It's not that I don't want to be with you, Zee." I can't believe that he thinks that I don't want to be with him. "Zuko, I want more than anything to be with you."

"Then what is it, Sunshine? I don't understand." I can't see him in the dark but I can tell by his voice that he's really confused and upset. And I am as well. There's no doubt about it that I want to be with him more than anything else in the world. Yet something inside of me doesn't feel right. What is it? For the longest time I thought it was my desire to continue my work; to not be the absent Fire Lady that I would be if I were both the Fire Lady and the Ambassador. But lately, I don't really want to be the Ambassador anymore. Yet still there is that feeling; that quivering in my heart when I think about being married to the Fire Lord.

Is it Zuko? Is there something inside of me that's telling me that _he's_ wrong for me? I move closer to him and bury myself in his chest. It can't be. If it were him, being in his arms couldn't possibly feel so right.

"I don't know, Zee. I literally have _no_ idea what it is. I'm just so confused," I admit.

He holds me tighter as I feel my body begin to tremble. Why am I trembling?

"Sunny, what are you so afraid of?"

"Afraid?" I never thought that I was _afraid_ of something. Though now that he mentions it, perhaps he's right. Perhaps I _am_ afraid. But what am I afraid of? I pause and think about it for a moment. "I guess maybe I'm afraid that I'd be a horrible Fire Lady; that I wouldn't be able to do everything that's expected of me; that I'd fail you; or worse, that I'd fail our nation. What if I'm just not meant to be Fire Lady? Zuko, I can't risk it. What if I'm no good?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm sure you'll make a perfect Fire Lady."

"No one is perfect, Zuko."

"Of course not but you know what I mean. I'm sure you'll make mistakes here and there but I think you'll do fine. And you know that no matter what happens, I'll always love you. I mean you love me even when I make mistakes, right? Mistakes are just a part of life and imperfection is what makes life so beautiful. I'm sure you know this already but it's in our mistakes that we learn and grow. But if you never take the risk, if you never take the chance of letting yourself even begin to make those mistakes, you'll never become the person you are meant to be."

"But Zee, it's different for you. We all know you're a good Fire Lord," I reply. "Plus, you've been preparing your whole life to be Fire Lord."

"Sunny, you know that's not entirely true. By the time Uncle told me that I should be Fire Lord, I wasn't even sure that I wanted to be Fire Lord. Like you, I was afraid that I wouldn't be any good. But I didn't let it stop me."

"You didn't have a choice."

"Maybe I did or maybe I didn't. Either way, you can't fight destiny, Sunny."

"But what if it's not my destiny? I mean, it was clear from birth that you were destined to be the Fire Lord, but what if I'm not meant to be Fire Lady?" I ask.

"Do you really believe that?"

No, I think to myself. Though it's only a 'no' because I can't really believe that I'm not destined to be with him at all. "I don't know."

"You know, technically speaking I wasn't destined 'by birth' to be the Fire Lord. If I was what I was 'born to be,' I wouldn't be here with you right now. But I am. And you are here as well."

"What are you trying to say Zee?"

"You can't change your destiny, Sunny. No matter how hard you try and no matter how much you fight it, it'll get you. It won't ever leave you alone until you accept it and own it. Even years later, it will linger. But, by that time, it'll be too late and your time would have passed. Do you really want to live like that? Do you really want to accept the regret of passing up your destiny because of the fear in your heart? I know you are stronger and more courageous than to let that fear keep you from what you know in your heart is the right thing."

"But, Zuko, that's the problem. I don't know if it's the right thing for me or not."

"Okay, try this for me, put away that fear for a moment and imagine that you are my Fire Lady. Imagine that you are successful at whatever it is you think a Fire Lady would be responsible for. And imagine little Zeva and Iroh running around our home together. Does that honestly not feel right?"

I think about it for a while but I don't respond. It's difficult for me to imagine living in the palace without thinking about how horrible it was when I first arrived for training. But then again, it did get better over time. Plus, imaginary Zeva and Iroh are really cute. Maybe he's right. Maybe I am supposed to be his Fire Lady. But it's just such a scary thought that it's difficult for me to believe it. I guess I just never imagined that I would marry the Fire Lord. But, to be honest, he's not the Fire Lord to me. To me, he's just Zee, my best friend.

"I don't know," I reply although I think that maybe I do.

Maybe he's right. Maybe he _is_ my destiny.

Thankfully, he doesn't continue to try and convince me of it. Perhaps he realizes that it's up to me now to decide on my own.

Heart, I think to myself, I know you're afraid but I think you and I both know what's right. It's okay. We'll will get through this and we don't have to do it alone. It's true that there's no way I'm going to be the perfect Fire Lady and there's no way that everyone will simply like and accept me as I am. But it's okay because I'm safe here. Zee accepts me. He accepts my imperfections, my insecurities, my uncertainties, and my mistakes.

I'm safe here in his arms, where (perhaps) I belong.


	32. Part 3: Ch 8: The Loyalists

**Sunny**

I walk to the abandoned barn just outside of Tian Jian where the Loyalists' meeting is being held. I can't believe that after all this time, and after everything that Zuko's done to mend the relationships between the nations, there are still people out there who want to overthrow him and that so many of them are from the Earth Kingdom. I mean, what did he ever do to them to make them want Ozai to be Fire Lord instead?

I go inside and stand near the back to try and blend in with the crowd. Hopefully I can get some good information out of this without getting too involved in it all. I look around and observe that there are roughly two or three hundred people from all over the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation here. Wow, I can't believe so many people want to overthrow Zuko!

"Hey Sunny, you made it!" the bartender from the other night says as he leans against the wall next to me.

"Oh, hi. I wouldn't miss an opportunity to get involved in such a meaningful cause," I lie.

I'm glad I'm much better at lying to strangers than I am at lying to Zuko. Otherwise, he'd totally read right through me.

"Right, of course. I'm just happy to see you again," he says and then tries to put his arm around my shoulder. I move forward so that his arm misses me and then lean up against the wall so he can't try it again. I don't like it when people other than Zuko touch me, even if it is just an arm. Thankfully, he seems to get the point.

The meeting starts and the host announces that they have successfully recruited the perfect leader who is on her way over now. He describes her as a powerful and fearsome woman who is the perfect person to lead the rebellion and reinstate the rightful Fire Lord. Blah blah blah, he goes on and on about how crappy Zuko is and how they could lead a better nation without him.

"Excuse me," an older gentleman says as he approaches me.

"Yes?"

"The new leader of the rebellion has requested your presences in a private meeting upstairs," he informs me.

Why would the leader of the Loyalists want to see _me_ out of all people?

"Okay," I agree reluctantly and then follow him up the stairs into a small room with a single table in the middle. Five or six high-ranking Generals and Admirals from the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom sit around it talking.

"Here's the one she requested," the man says and then leaves.

I greet the officials, none of them whom I recognize (thank God), and then sit down at the end of the table, as far away from the leader who clearly has not yet arrived as possible. Crap, I wonder why they asked me to come to here. I'm obviously not some high-ranking General or Admiral from either of the nations. I wonder if my cover is blown and they know who I _really_ am.

I feel my heart beat rapidly as the door opens again. I look up and see that it is General Zhang. General Zhang?! What is he doing here at secret Loyalist meeting? A pretty Fire Nation girl follows him in and they sit down across the table from me.

"Sunny!" He looks as surprised to see me here as I am to see him. Crap, my cover is totally blown. He knows full well that not only am I the Fire Nation Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom but that I am actually in love with Zuko.

"General Zhang," I reply as calmly as I possibly can.

"Everyone, it looks like we have a spy among us," he says to the group. The rest of the members look over at us and wait for him to continue. "In front of me is the Fire Nation Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Lord's girlfriend who he probably sent to gather information on our movement. What should we do with her?"

I can't believe General Zhang is a Loyalist and that he about to get me killed and thrown into a ditch. I stay calm and think of a way to get myself out of here. Maybe I should try and make a run for it. I can start a fire or something and then jump out the window behind me. Or maybe I can try to talk my way out of this.

"Actually, ex-fiance would be more accurate," an extremely familiar voice chimes in from the front of the room.

I turn to confirm it is who I think it is. And, to my surprise, it is.

"Azula?!" I can't believe Azula is part of the rebellion too! I bet she's the new leader they were talking about. And I guess from the Loyalists' point of view, Azula is the perfect person for the job. But I thought she had changed. I think back about the time when she told me we were sisters and I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes as I watch Azula sit down at the head of the table. I can't believe Azula would betray Zuko like this! I want to run out of the room but I pull myself together and keep my mouth shut.

"Right, sis. How are have you been? I hear the breakup with Zu-Zu was pretty bad. Though it seems you've come to your senses and perhaps have realized what a horrible Fire Lord my brother is," she says with a sly smile.

She's acting weird. She knows damn well how bad it was. I mean, she was the one who would come over and bring me food when I couldn't find the heart to even eat. And now... what is she up to? I think about all the time Azula and I spent together this past year and how happy Zuko was about the change we've seen in his sister. I really thought she had changed. And Zee, he's is going to be devastated when he finds out Azula is leading the rebellion against him.

"Ex-fiance or not, she can't be trusted," General Zhang continues.

"There, there, General. I know _you_ personally don't want her around but let's think logically about this for a moment. Sunny is in a unique position to provide very important intelligence on the soon-to-be _not_ Fire Lord. I think we could really use her to our advantage," she says as she walks over to me. "Plus, if I know anything about my own brother, he was probably a really horrible boyfriend. Right _Sunshine_?"

I have no idea why she even remotely thinks that I would actually agree with her statement though I guess it makes a pretty good story so I go with it.

"Right, Azula. And that's why I'm here. I'd do anything to help you overthrow him," I say in agreement, pretending to be angry and hurt or whatever.

"That's a lie. She's completely in love with him!" General Zhang objects.

"Now now. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, wouldn't you agree?" Azula replies.

"Perhaps but-"

"But what, General? Perhaps you are letting your own emotions taint your judgement." Azula interrupts. She seems angry now. Clearly, she doesn't like it when people don't agree with her. And she's pretty scary and can be quite mean when she's not on your side, something that I know from personal experience.

"She's right. I'm sorry things didn't work out with us but maybe if you weren't so blinded by your dislike for me you'd recognize that I'm actually on your side. I want to get rid of Zuko as much, if not more, than anyone else in this room," I say as I firmly place my hands on the desk.

The others seem convinced though I'm sure that there's no way Azula could actually believe me. I hold my breath as I wait for her to respond.

"Perfect," she says and then continues on with the meeting.

Apparently, the Loyalists have put together an entire army to storm the Fire Nation and overthrow Zuko. Azula, with her influence in the Earth Kingdom, has recruited an elite group of military including a large percentage of the Dai Li to lead the attack. The plan is for them to storm Capital City, take down its walls, and overthrow Zuko.

"Actually, now that you're with us Sunny, I think we could actually kill Zu-Zu pretty easily. Perhaps even without a fight. I'm thinking if we just ask him for his life in exchange for yours he'd oblige immediately. Then we can get rid of him once and for all."

I can't believe that Azula is actually thinking about _killing_ Zuko. Is she crazy?!

"You're brilliant Azula," I respond, pretending to agree to everything she's suggesting.

"I know. I'm glad you're with us, sis. Let's meet at Roku's island two weeks from today and we can take it from there," she says and then turns and leaves.

The rest of the officials stay and talk about how amazingly brilliant Azula is and what a wonderful and powerful Fire Lord she'd make. I can't believe she is actually thinking about killing her own brother to take the throne. I sneak out of the meeting and try to catch her before she leaves. I'm sure there's something she's not telling me. I mean, I guess I _could_ imagine her planning to overthrow him but I would never have guessed that she'd want to _kill_ him.

I walk down the stairs and see her exit through the back door of the barn. I follow her but am interrupted by the bartender.

"Hey, how was the secret meeting?" he asks when he sees me come down the stairs.

"Oh, it was fine. Nothing special." I try to push past him.

"You want to walk back to town together?" He follows me. Oh my gosh, why won't he just leave me alone!

"No thank you, I gotta run," I say as politely as possible.

I push through the crowd and open the back door. I look around and try to figure out which way she went but it's so dark out here that I can't see a thing.

I lost her.

I think about going to her place in Ba Sing Se and waiting for her there but I'm pretty sure she's not 'hiding out' at home. I guess the best thing I can do now is to warn Zuko.

I send a messenger hawk to him and then head back to Ba Sing Se to talk to Uncle. If Azula really is planning to attack Capital City in two weeks, we'll have to come up with a good plan to defend the city and Zuko without hurting her.


	33. Part 3: Ch 9: Azula

**Zuko**

I receive an urgent message from Sunny as I step out of a meeting with the Earth King. She requests that I meet her in Ba Sing Se as soon as possible as she has some important news regarding the Loyalists that she must tell me in person. I guess the meeting in Tian Jian was informative. I hope things aren't _too_ bad.

Her note indicates that she is headed over to Uncle's now to talk to him so I walk to the tea shop to see if she's there yet.

She isn't.

Uncle pours me a cup of tea and we decide to play some Pai Sho to kill time as we wait for her to arrive.

"You seem happier since you've returned from Tian Jian, Zuko. I'm guessing the trip went well?" Uncle asks as we start our game.

"Oh, yeah... Tian Jian was nice." I smile, imagining Sunny on top of me but then shake the thought from my head and try to focus on the game instead.

"I see. I assume you and Sunny are back together?"

"I'm not really sure, Uncle. It's been really confusing but I think I realize now that she's definitely the right person for me and I'm not going to let her just walk out of my life."

"That's good. I always thought you two were good for each other and I'm sure she will realize it as well," he reassures me.

"I hope so Uncle," I reply as I plan my move.

We are silent for a while as we continue to play.

"You know her mother named her after my wife," he says after some time.

"Really?" I've never heard Uncle talk about his wife before so I'm a bit shocked that he's bringing her up. It's weird to imagine Uncle's life before I was born. Though, it's nice to be able to talk to him about _his_ life for a change. I wonder what kind of person his wife was, how they met, what they did for fun? In fact, I suddenly realize, I don't think I even know her name. All I know about her was that she passed away during childbirth, when they had Lu Ten, before I was born.

"Yes. Her mother and Tai Yuan were very good friends. They were extremely similar in a lot of ways, which makes sense considering they were friends for so many years. After a while, people rub off on each other."

"Oh, what was she like, Uncle?" I ask, referring to his wife _(Author's Note: Tai Yuan translates to sun in Chinese)_.

"Tai Yuan? She was the most beautiful woman in the world. But beyond that she had a pure heart. She was a cheerful and optimistic person and always believed in the good in everyone she met." I can tell by the tenderness in his expression that he must be imagining her. "She was the light to my darkness."

That sounds beautiful, I think to myself as I imagine Uncle's wife. It's weird to think that Uncle's wife was friends with Sunny's mother. I wonder how different things would have been if they were both alive and if Sunny's family had stayed in Capital City. Would we still end up together? I guess it's very probable that we would considering her family was so close to Uncle's.

I want to ask him more about Tai Yuan and Sunny's family but a knock on the door interrupts our conversation.

It must be Sunny. I get up from the table and open the door. Quickly, she slips in and then closes the door behind her. She looks frazzled and a bit out of it. I wonder what happened? I want to reach over and kiss her but I refrain myself.

"Zuko, I'm glad you're here. We have a problem," she says once she realizes it's me and not Uncle standing in front of her.

"What is it?"

"It's Azula," she starts but then looks even more upset than she did before.

"Azula? What happened? Is she okay?" I hope she's not hurt or anything.

"She's fine. But... Azula is... she's leading the rebellion," she finally says.

"What?!" I'm shocked. "It can't be true. Azula's changed."

"That's what I thought too. But I just sat through a two hour meeting with her and some officials from both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. They are planning to overthrow you and make Azula the Fire Lord instead."

"Why would Azula do that?" I ask. "It doesn't make _any_ sense. I mean, if she wanted to be Fire Lord, why didn't she just say 'yes' when I asked her to take the position after I found out about my real father?"

"I don't know, Zuko. But she has hundreds of people lined up to take down Capital City. And..."

"And what?" Is there more to this crazy plan?!

"And... she plans to use me to kill you," she says.

"Okay, now that's ridiculous. You would never kill me," I reply with a smirk as I move closer to her and wrap my hands around her waist. She doesn't smile back. Okay, I know this is serious but Azula couldn't possibly believe that Sunny would ever actually kill me. I mean Azula may be crazy but she certainly is not stupid.

"No, I mean she's planning to... never mind. The point is, you have to get out of Capital City," she insists. She seems a little annoyed. "I wish you'd take this a bit more seriously."

"It's just not very believable, that's all." Plus, she's so cute when she's annoyed that it's hard to take her seriously.

"What's going on?" Uncle asks as he gets up from the Pai Sho table.

I relay the information to Uncle who doesn't seem to be nearly as shocked as Sunny and I am about Azula's sudden change of heart. But then again very few things actually shock Uncle so I guess it makes sense.

"Well, I'm sure Azula is just confused. We've certainly all been _there_ before," he says nonchalantly.

"Uncle, I know you and Azula have made amends but I think we need to really consider the severity of the situation," Sunny replies. "Those people at that meeting are very serious about taking Zuko out and even if Azula is simply confused, and figures herself out before the attack, that doesn't stop the rest of them from going through with it. Plus, I'm pretty sure there are more than just the hundreds that showed up in Tian Jian. We need to come up with some sort of viable plan to protect Zuko."

"Sunny's right, Uncle," I say. "We need to stand up to Azula and stop the Loyalists from succeeding in their plan. The Fire Nation military has been downsized but I think, with the help of the Kyoshi Warriors and perhaps Aang, we can stop Azula and her group."

"Okay, but I don't think a full-on battle is the best idea. I mean, that could lead to another war, which would be devastating for everyone. I think maybe we should go with Sunny's original plan and have you flee the palace. That way Azula can take the throne temporarily and we'll have all the Loyalists in Capital City," Uncle replies. "Then, we can take it back easily."

"Right, I can gather some of my guards and flee, perhaps to Kayseri. The city is surrounded by cliffs and underground labyrinths of caves."

"Yes, I think Kayseri is a good place to hideout for a while. The Order of the White Lotus will go with you as well. If this is true, then you will need a lot more protection than just your guards."

"You're right," I agree. "I'll let Aang know as well. Sunny, did they say anything about when they are planning to attack?"

"Two weeks from today," she replies. "They will be meeting at Roku's island. They are planning to regroup and attack from there. You should plan to be gone by then."

"Okay. And what about you? Will you come with me?" It would be really nice to have her with me.

"No," she replies. "I mean, I want to go with you but I think I should stay with Azula. That way I can send you updates if their plans change."

"I agree. We'll definitely need someone to keep us abreast of Azula's plans," Uncle replies. "And Zuko, please be sure to take only those who you are _certain _are loyal to you. Now go and get ready. I will see you in two weeks, Nephew."

**Sunny**

He pushes us out of the tea house and then closes the doors behind us. We stand in front of the shop for a few minutes in silence. I guess he's as shocked as I am, if not more, about Azula.

"I can't believe Azula..." Zuko says after a few minutes.

"I know," I reply. "I'm sorry that I had to be the one to tell you."

"Well, I don't think I would have believed it if it were anyone else." He stares blankly at the floor for a while. I give it some time for his thoughts to settle a bit before I take his hand and walk toward his usual hotel a few blocks from Uncle's. We enter his room and he sits down on the bed. I sit down next to him in silence. He looks so confused and upset, which makes sense considering the situation, that I don't want to bother him.

"Sunny, do you think Azula would really go through with it?" he asks after some time. "That she would really _kill_ me, her own brother?"

"I don't know, Zuko," I reply. "Maybe Uncle's right. Maybe Azula's just confused. I tried to catch her and talk to her alone after the meeting today but she left so quickly that I wasn't able to catch up to her."

He doesn't respond.

Instead, he lays down on the bed and stares up at the ceiling. I lay down next to him, half on his chest, and he holds me in his arms. We don't talk though I'm pretty sure I can guess what he's thinking about. He's probably thinking the same thing I've been thinking since I found out Azula is the leader of the rebellion. He's probably thinking about how ridiculous this all is and how there's no way that any of it could be true.

But, unfortunately, it is.

"Zee?" I say after a while.

"Yeah, Sunshine?"

"I love you," I admit.

"I know," he replies and then kisses me on the forehead. "I love you too."

I've been thinking a lot about what he said about me letting my fear of failure hold me back from my destiny. And now, after everything that's happened to me since I broke up with him, I think it's pretty obvious that destiny is pointing me back to him. I'm so exhausted and drained from it all that I just can't wait for this chaos to simply be over with already. In fact, I'm starting to think that it may be kind of nice to live peacefully in Capital City with Zee.

Perhaps I've come full circle from where I was born, to the Earth Kingdom, and back again.

"And I think, after all this is over, I would really like to come home and be with you..." I continue. "That is if you'll let me of course."

"Sunny, you know you can come home _anytime._" I feel a wave of warmth overwhelm me as I hear his words. I can't believe that after everything I've put him through he'd welcome me home just like that.

And, being in his arms is so comfortable that I have no idea why I ever doubted us at all. What was I thinking?! Yes, it's true that I don't love living in the palace. But it's not about the palace, or Ba Sing Se, or anywhere in particular. It's about being with him. I realize now that home isn't a certain city or a particular house or something.

Home is here - in Zuko's arms.

"Zee, I'm so sorry for ever doubting us. I was really confused but now I realize that you're right. Being with you _is_ my destiny."

"It's okay, Sunshine. Sometimes we have to go through certain things in order to realize what's right and what's wrong for us. I mean, we both know I've certainly been there before. I doubted myself so much that I almost lost my mind. I'm just glad it didn't get to that point for you and that we were able to talk it through together instead," he replies. "Plus, I think it's better that you took your time to figure out how you really feel before we got married. To be honest, despite all the crap we had to go through, I actually prefer it this way. I mean, it's certainly better than you forever having doubts about us in your heart."

"I did almost get there," I reply, referring to losing my mind. "After I left you, I had no idea what to do with myself. I was so lost and confused that I would randomly find myself crying uncontrollably."

"I know."

"How did you know?" I'm confused. I don't remember ever telling him about it and I'm pretty sure I never broke down in front of him. I was really careful not to since I knew that it would only confuse him.

"General Zhang told me."

"What?! When did you talk to General Zhang?"

"After you were taken hostage... he... well, _we_ sat by your side for a while," he replies.

"Oh..." I'm not sure how to respond to that. I guess that explains how Zhang knew about Zuko and I.

I wonder what else happened during those few days? The doctor said I was pretty delirious though I can't remember any of it. The last thing I remember was being stabbed in the side. After that, I woke up days later in our medical tent. Perhaps I did something really horrible to General Zhang, which pushed him to become a Loyalist or something.

I don't know.

"What else did you two talk about?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Nothing really. I sort of didn't want anything to do with him." I can tell by his voice that he _really_ doesn't like Zhang.

"I'm sorry about Zhang, Zee. I thought it would help me move on. For what it's worth, I never even kissed the man."

"I really don't need to know and would actually prefer not to think about it." He seems pissed now. Okay, maybe I should have just kept that to myself. But I really want him to know that even though General Zhang was good to me I was never able to see him as anything more than a friend. I start to tell him but then decide that it's probably best to just drop it.

"I'm sorry, Zee," I say after a while.

"It's okay Sunny. I just hate the thought of you being with someone else. When I saw him sitting beside you in that medical-tent, I honestly wanted to kill him." I have no idea what happened in that tent but I'm guessing it wasn't very pleasant, perhaps for both of them.

"Oh... maybe that's how he feels about it," I reply, mostly to myself.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Umm... well... General Zhang is kind of a Loyalist," I admit.

"Kind of? I guess you just make people want to kill each other," he says playfully and then kisses me. "I can't wait for all this to be over."

"Me either." I kiss him back and then roll over onto my back and stare up at the ceiling.

I think about General Zhang and how I really shouldn't have agreed to go out with him to begin with. Then perhaps things wouldn't be so messy. But who knows, maybe he was a Loyalist to begin with? I have no idea though it's hard to believe that any one thing that I or anyone has done can directly cause someone to decide one way or the other about their own destiny. I feel like it's usually more of a combination of factors that push us one way or the other. Either way, I know my mistakes were probably part of the reason and I need to be more careful with people's hearts.

I look over at Zee who seems to be lost in his own thoughts as well. He's probably thinking about Azula or something. I've never had a sister but I can't imagine how horrible I'd feel if someone in my family turned on me.

After a few minutes, he reaches over and rests his head in my chest.

"I guess I don't have any real family left," he says as I wrap my arms around him. His voice is so sad that I want to cry even though he's not crying or anything. "Except you and Uncle of course."

"I promise, I'll never leave you again, Zee."

"Thanks, Sunshine," he replies as he kisses my neck and then slowly runs his hands along the curves of my body. Gently, he moves his body on top of mine and I feel my soul melt into his as we make love; erasing any lingering fears I may have had about us in my heart.


	34. Part 3: Ch 10: Overthrown and On The Run

**Zuko**

I walk over to the War Room where Uncle and the gAang have decided to meet before we head out to Kayseri. They arrived this morning and have been helping me with my 'move' all day. I've informed my most trusted officials about the potential attack and my decision to flee the city. We've arranged for an elite group of guards to go with me while the rest of the military will remain in Capital City to protect our citizens when Azula and her army arrives. Those who will be staying behind have been instructed to surrender without a fight.

I want to stay and protect my people but I think Uncle and Sunny are right - it's best for me to just abandon the palace and let her take the throne temporarily. That way there's less of a risk that people could get hurt, especially Azula. I know I shouldn't care but no matter how much of a traitor she is, she is still my sister and I don't want her to get hurt. After all, she is the only living blood family member I have left.

Maybe some more time in the psychiatric rehabilitation center could help her. Perhaps I'll tell them to be more gentle with her this time. It hurt to see her all tied up in that straight jacket last time. What I would really like to know though is why she decided, after over a year of being 'loyal' to both me and the Earth King, to lead the Loyalists in their rebellion. Why didn't she just say yes when I offered her the throne without a fight? Perhaps she finds it more entertaining this way? She does have a weird definition of 'fun.'

I think about Sokka and Katara's relationship for a moment and wish that Azula and I could have a healthy relationship someday. Maybe, just maybe they can cure her. But then again, our family is so messed up that I guess there's no point in comparing us to Sokka and Katara or even wishing for something so far fetched. At least I have Uncle, Sunny, and the gAang whom I could honestly call my family and friends even though I'm technically not related to any of them. I guess, considering how sad and lonely I was growing up, I should be really grateful for what I have now.

I enter the room and around the table are my most trusted advisers and friends - Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph, General Mak, Uncle, Sunny's Dad, and General How. I just wish Sunny were here as well. Then, I wouldn't care where I went or what I did, I'd be complete.

"Thank you all for coming here today," I start. "I know that for some of you, what's about to happen here in Capital City, does not really affect you personally so I am honored that you are here with me and I'm sure I will need your help."

"Fire Lord Zuko, the Earth King wanted me to inform you that you have his full support. He has sent me and small group of Special Forces to represent him," General How says.

"Thank you, General How," I reply. It's nice to know that, even though the Earth King and I are so different in so many ways, he is willing to help out during this time of turmoil in my Nation. "I'm honored to have you here and hope to be able to keep the Earth Kingdom out of my domestic issues as much as possible. Though, with Azula being the head of the Dai Li, the Earth Kingdom is probably already more involved than I'd like. And I'm sorry for that. Is the Earth King safe?" I ask, suddenly realizing that he too may be in danger.

"Yes, we have recruited a new leader for the Dai Li - General Hyeong - who is extremely trustworthy and capable," he reassures me.

"Excellent," I reply as we continue on to discuss where we will be going and how we will get there. We have decided that we should probably take as few people as possible.

"With the Order of the White Lotus, the Kyoshi Warriors, the gAang, Toph's metalbending students, the Earth Kingdom Special Forces unit, and of your most trusted officials, I think we have enough manpower to defend ourselves from pretty much any attack," Aang says.

"I agree," Uncle continues. "There's no need to add additional mouths to feed as we are unsure of how long we will be on the run for."

That's true. We all agree to the final group that's selected and then begin to pack our bags and head out. We head to Kayseri, a Fire Nation town that was built in the cliffs formed by Mt. Fusumi. The cliffs provide an ideal place to hide out in case Azula comes after us.

I send a messenger hawk to Sunny informing her of our location and returning her ring before we head out. If anything happens to either of us, I'd want her to have her ring.

I'm uneasy about her being with Azula but I know that it can't be helped. She's the only one who can help to provide the information we need about Azula's plans. I just hope that she can maintain her cover. I know Sunny is good but so is Azula. I mean, Azula is undoubtedly extremely cunning and intelligent, making her difficult to read and even more difficult to fool.

**Sunny**

I arrive at Roku's island and find that Azula and her massive army already there. I still can't believe that Azula is leading this rebellion. But she's clearly very serious about it.

"Hello, sis," she says when she sees me approaching. "I half thought you wouldn't show up."

"Why not Azula? We had a deal."

"Well, I don't know. Thought that maybe you changed your mind about Zu-Zu or something. People have a tendency of doing that to me," she says with an annoyed look on her face. My guess is she's probably referring to Mai and Ty Lee who had both turned their backs on her before.

"Azula, our friendship is deeper than one built on fear and admiration. Though, to be honest, I do admire your persistence and brilliance but that certainly isn't the reason we are friends. Plus, I've never feared you."

"I guess that makes sense since you're probably one of the only people who could honestly take me in an Agni Kai."

"Plus, friends don't turn their backs on each other, just like family isn't supposed to either," I say though I probably should have left that family part out. I'm actually still surprised that she even remotely believes that I've turned on Zuko.

"Good thing Zu-Zu and I are only half then," she replies with a devious smile. I'm angry for a moment but then I just feel sad. Sad that Zuko's only living family member could so easily discard their relationship; sad that one of my best friends is now my greatest enemy; sad that the Azula that I've become so very fond of is now completely gone. "So, are we still on with the plan?" she asks referring to forcing Zuko to surrender his life on account of her pretending to kill me.

I think about it for a moment and imagine that Azula actually kills both of us instead but then shake the thought from my head. She wouldn't. This must be all some sort of sick joke she's playing.

"Yes, of course," I lie. "You know I'd do whatever it takes to overthrow him. Though, are you sure we should kill him?" I ask, hoping that she may change her mind about the killing part.

"Oh, having some reservations about it?"

"Just the killing part."

"Don't worry, Sunshine. I'll make it quick," she replies with an evil smile on her face.

"Right..."

"I see. Maybe your feelings for my brother haven't changed as much as I thought." Crap, why am I even arguing with her? I guess somewhere inside I believed that the Azula I've known is still here. I guess not. I guess we'll just have to make sure she doesn't get that far.

"What are you implying? Why would I come here and agree to help you kill Zuko if I were even remotely still infatuated by him?" I ask, pretending to be really angry at her for doubting me.

"Oh sis, I'm just making sure," she replies. "I just don't like it when things don't go my way, you know."

"I know and I'm not asking you to not kill him per se, just making sure that's what you _really_ want. I mean, he _is_ your brother, even if it's only half."

"And your lover," she says with an 'I'm-kidding-but-not-really' kind of smile.

I'm not sure how to reply but thankfully I don't have to since she goes off to talk to the Dai Li agents she's recruited. I can't believe how many Dai Li agents are here. Sigh, I wish Azula would just snap out of it and be like 'I'm just kidding, I don't want to be Fire Lord' or something already. Not that I could actually see her saying it in those words but you know what I mean.

I hike up the volcano to see if I can get an estimate as to how many people she has lined up to kill Zuko. Wow. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of them. I wonder if all these people really want to overthrow and kill Zuko or if they are just going along with it because of their commanding officers' orders or Azula's charm. As I walk back to the campsite, a messenger hawk delivers a message. I open it and find a brief note from Zee.

_Sunny, we're on our way to Kayseri. We'll be hiding out in the northeastern part of the cliffs where the river is the deepest. Ran insisted on waiting for you in Capital City. Also, I believe this is yours._

I look in the tube to see what he's referring to and find our engagement ring in it. A wave of warmth comes over me as hold the ring in my hand. He's such a sweetheart, I can't wait to be with him again. But I know that in order for us to be together, I need to first help him successfully deal with these Loyalists. I take the ring and put it on the chain of my necklace though I'd very much prefer to wear it instead. But it's best that I don't right now since Azula may notice.

I head back down to the shore and board the flagship with Azula.

"Ready?" she asks as I tuck the note into my pocket.

"Yes, let's do this."

We sail right into the port in Capital City and disembark the ship.

"Straight to the palace!" Azula yells as her people follow her.

She doesn't waste any time and firebends her way through the guards by the port. A fight breaks out between some guards and the new intruders.

"You heard her, straight to the palace," I say as the fighting intensifies. Ugh, I seriously need some help here! There's just too many of them to stop them all from fighting!

"Are you people deaf?!" I hear Azula scream from the front, "I said to head straight for the palace! There's no need to waste your time on the guards down here when we have a _real_ fight to get to at the palace."

She sends the Dai Li agents to stop the fighting and we march on towards the palace. But when we arrive, it's empty. Azula automatically assumes her position as Fire Lord and then, after changing into the proper Fire Lord attire and replacing all the palace guards with Dai Li agents, she calls me into the War Room.

"Where did they go?!" she asks as I enter the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Azula."

"You know, you're a horrible liar sis."

"Azula, I don't understand why you would automatically assume that I know where they've gone. You out of all people know that I haven't spoken to Zuko in months," I say as calmly as I possibly can.

"Fine. Then it's your job now to find out where Zu-Zu and his little friends have gone. You have three days or I'll kill you myself," she says angrily.

"No offense Fire Lord Azula, but I thought we were sisters."

"You are as much my sister as Zuko is my brother. Now find out where he's gone or soon I won't have a sister or a brother anymore." Okay, she's really lost it. Maybe there's something about being in power that makes her seriously lose her mind. I mean, her plan was kind of crazy before but at least she sort of made sense then. I agree and then excuse myself and go down the hall to the room she's assigned for me - Zuko's room of course.

I sit at the balcony and I think about what I'm going to do next. I wish I could talk to Zee, or Genearl How, or Uncle, or _someone_. Obviously, I'm not going to tell Azula where Zuko is but if I don't, she may actually kill me. Maybe I should just run away and join Zuko in Kayseri. But then again, if I leave now, they won't be able to get the information they need to help him take back the city.

Ugh, there's clearly no easy way out of this situation...

I decide to take a shower and sleep on it. Perhaps tomorrow I'll figure something out.


	35. Part 2: Ch 11: A Traitor in Our Midst

**Sunny**

The next morning, I wake up to find that Azula is having a meeting with the leading members of the rebellion. I wonder what they are meeting about and why they didn't invite me? I enter the War Room after they are done and find Azula sitting on the throne, a blue wall of flames surrounding her.

"Well, good morning, sis. Nice of you to finally wake up," she says when she sees me enter.

"Good morning, Fire Lord Azula," I reply as I bow to her. "The throne looks pretty cool in blue."

"It does, doesn't it?" she replies and then walks over to where I'm standing. "Did you sleep well in Zu-Zu's room last night?" she teases. "Bring back some nice memories of my traitor brother?"

"Azula, I think it's kind of obvious that _you_ are the traitor here," I say to her in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

She laughs.

"You're right aren't you. I guess _I'm_ the one who betrayed my beloved brother."

"So what are you going to do now that you're Fire Lord?" I ask in an attempt to change the subject before I blow my own cover.

"Well, I think we both know there are still some loose ends to be taken care of." Man, I was really hoping she'd forgotten about her plan to kill me if I don't tell her where Zuko is.

"Right..."

"But I think we can take care of that pretty quickly in Kayseri," she says with a smile. What?! How does she know!

"Kayseri?" I ask, pretending to not know what she's talking about.

"Don't play stupid with me! I found the letter you hid in your jacket yesterday," she sneers at me. "And to think that I believed that I had actually found a trustworthy friend!" She throws Zee's letter into the flames.

"I thought _I_ did too, Azula," I reply, referring to 'good' Azula that I had learned to love.

She doesn't reply though I'm sure she understands what I'm getting at.

"Well, aren't you going to run off and warn Zu-Zu that I'm coming?" she asks after a while.

"I'd like to but I figure you're going to kill me before I get a chance."

"Nah, not worth the hassle. You and I both know you're a pretty good firebender so I'd prefer not to get my hands dirty with you. We'll take care of you and that pathetic brother of mine soon enough. Anyways, I'm hungry. See you around, sis."

I stick around a little longer to try and gather whatever information I can about the attack before I head out to Kayseri. Apparently, Azula has called together everyone from both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom who are loyal to her and is planning to go after Zuko tomorrow. Her memo, which I was able to get off of General How, stated that only those who are completely loyal to her should go. Though, according to General How, it doesn't make a difference if anyone else joins anyways since they already have more than enough people to take down Zuko, especially considering how many Dai Li agents there are. And everyone else who doesn't join isn't going to have a choice as to who their Fire Lord is going to be anyways.

"How'd you get all mixed up in this anyways?" I ask after he explains their plans to me.

"Same way you did."

"Oh, so you're undercover?" I ask jokingly (though not really of course consider I am undercover).

"Very funny, Sunny. I didn't initially want to overthrow your ex-fiance. I mean, there's no way I'd actually want Ozai to be Fire Lord again. But, after observing how careless he is about things, I started to doubt him. And when I met Azula I couldn't help but think that she's definitely the better person for the job."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Of course I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. Though, to be honest, I think she's going a bit too far in trying to kill her brother but I guess that's how royals are - _extremely_ careful. I suppose I would be too if my country was on the line."

"Your country or your control of the country?" I ask in an attempt to make him think a little deeper about what he's saying.

"It doesn't matter. Either way, I'm with her no matter what. Not that I'm into her or anything, just I think she'd make a good leader, unlike her brother."

"So... it's not personal?" I ask after a while.

"What? Do you think that I'm doing this because of all the pain that he's obviously caused you?" I can't tell if he thinks I'm over-analyzing our short relationship or if he is really thinking about my question.

"Never mind. That was a stupid question. I'm sorry things didn't work out between us Zhang. I never should have led you on like that."

"There's something about you," he replies tenderly.

"Best if you leave it be."

"I guess it is," he says. "You think what I'm doing is wrong don't you?"

"I think you're making a bad decision though you're entitled to your opinion about the ruler of a particular Nation. I just don't think murder is ever the right thing to do."

"So, considering you obviously disagree with Azula, what are you going do?" he asks as if looking for an answer to what he should do.

"I'm going to help Zuko however I can," I admit though it's probably not the best thing to say to my Loyalist ex-boyfriend.

He's silent for a while.

"You're still in love with him aren't you?"

"Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"

"Probably not."

I stare at him for a while and objectively admire how good looking he is - his handsome features and manly build. Yet, for whatever reason, I am not attracted to him at all. I imagine for a moment that I'm in Zuko's arms and feel a warmth come over me as I touch the ring on my necklace.

"After all this is over," I confess, "I'm going to marry him, whether he's the Fire Lord or not."

"So you are actually undercover, huh?"

"It doesn't matter either way does it? Question is, are _you_ undercover?"

"Not officially, no," he replies.

"What are you going to do then? It doesn't seem like you particularly want to go through with this either," I say, reading his facial expression.

"No. Honestly, I don't want to. But I feel like I'm in too deep; that there's no way I can just turn around and walk out of here like you."

"There's always a way, Zhang. Go and don't look back. Don't ever come back or they will kill you," I say, repeating the words Chey had once said to me on the shore just beyond the forest south of here.

"Those are some pretty strong words."

"I don't really mean it, of course. What I mean is - if you're heart's not fully in it, you should leave and find where your heart _is_," I clarify though I think 'don't ever come back or they will kill you' is probably more convincing.

"I never thought about my heart before."

"Never?" I ask in disbelief. Is it even possible for someone to never ever, not even once, think about their heart?

"Nope. I just did whatever I thought was right and I did it to the best of my ability," he says, looking down at his hands.

"You've done quite well for yourself, General Zhang."

"Have I?" he asks.

"Maybe. Well, at least in my book, if you get out of this situation now, I'd say that you have."

"Where should I go?"

"I don't know. Home?" I suggest as I get up to leave. Wherever that is, I add to myself, as I suddenly realize that despite being in Ping Yao with him for three months I don't know a thing about Zhang. Weird.

"_Home_," I hear him whisper to himself as I walk away.

I go down into the lower levels of the palace where Ran has been hiding and fly over to Kayseri to warn Zuko and the gAang.

**Zuko**

Sunny arrives a few hours after lunch and, by the looks of it, she has bad news.

"Sunny!" Aang greets her outside of my tent.

"Hi Aang, we need to meet," she replies and then walks into my tent. The rest of the gAang, Uncle, Sunny's Dad, and General How gather inside. "I'm sorry but I've failed you all. Azula's on her way over here with as many Loyalists as she can possibly gather from both the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. She found out that I'm not actually on her side and has also found out that you are all hiding out here in Kayseri. I came as fast as I could to warn you."

"Do you know if she's on her way right now?" Uncle asks.

"Well, considering we have waterbenders here, I'm guessing they will attack tomorrow, during the day," Sunny replies.

"So we have about half a day to prepare then," Uncle says. "How many do you think there are?"

"At Roku's Island, there were hundreds, if not thousands. But I doubt they will all come. She's sent a memo out calling for only those who _really_ want to participate; those who are completely loyal to her. So, I'm guessing the numbers will be less, but still a lot."

"Has the Earth King been informed about the earthbenders who are with Azula?" I ask.

"Yes. Earth King Kuei is aware of the situation considering many of his Dai Li agents are involved," General How replies.

"Right, it's good that he's informed. We should be sure to keep him up-to-date on what's happening."

He agrees and then drafts a note and sends it to Earth King Kuei.

"So, what should we do about Azula?" Katara asks, moving the meeting along.

"I'm sure we can take her," Aang replies confidently. "We were able to defeat your father on the Day of Sozin's Comet, so I'm sure we can defeat Azula tomorrow."

"Then what?" Sunny asks. "Despite everything she's doing, I don't really like the idea of Azula in the insane asylum again."

"Me either," I reply. "Isn't there anything else we can do?"

"I could take her bending away..." Aang says reluctantly.

"No! We can't... I mean, I can't allow that to happen to Azula. She would be devastated without her bending. And, as much as I know you are suggesting this because you feel it's probably the best thing to do, and maybe it is, I can't have that happen to Azula no matter how much she's betrayed me."

"You're right, Zuko," Uncle agrees. "I don't know what we can do but I don't think we can actually decide what we will do tomorrow today. Perhaps it will come to that point but perhaps it won't be necessary. We will just have to wait until tomorrow to see. For now, we should fortify the camp and then try to get a good night's sleep."

Everyone agrees and then goes back outside to prepare for dinner. Sunny, of course, stays behind.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't able to stop her," she says after everyone's gone.

"Sunny, it's not your fault. _I'm_ sorry that you had to be undercover for so long. What happened anyways?"

"Well, Azula demanded that I tell her where you were..." she starts.

"And, you told her?" I ask in disbelief. I can't imagine that Sunny would just do whatever Azula asks.

"Of course not, Zuko. She found your letter. I should have burned it but... I wanted to hold on to it in case..."

"In case things didn't work out so well," I finish her sentence.

"Exactly. Not that you wrote much in it."

"Well, it meant more than just the actual words I could put on that paper," I reply, referring to the ring and the deeper meaning of the last sentence I wrote in that note. "I wanted to write more but I didn't want to make it _too_ obvious in case Azula found the note, which she did."

"Yeah, too bad I'm such a horrible liar."

"You really are," I reply playfully. "At least to people who _really_ know you that is. Which probably means that you and Azula must have actually been very good friends before all of this."

"She kept calling me 'sis,'" she says, "which was endearing at first since I was sort of expecting her to tell me it was all some grand plan she had to help us. But, when she actually went through with storming Capital City, I realized that it's clearly not." I can tell she's really sad about it and can practically feel her heart breaking into pieces. I understand that feeling of course considering Azula is my sister but, to be honest, they probably had a much deeper friendship than Azula and I ever had.

"You two were _very_ close, huh?"

"We were," she replies. "When we broke up, Azula used to come and stay with me whenever I was in Ba Sing Se to make sure I was okay. She would force me to eat since I didn't really have much of an appetite. And she even tried to clean my house once, though she gave up after about thirty-seconds or so. I really thought that she was my friend and was looking forward to having her as my sister-in-law."

I imagine them in Sunny's house in Ba Sing Se. I never realized that Azula had been there and can barely even begin to picture what Azula cleaning looks like. I laugh a little to myself imagining her attempting to wash dishes or something. That's sweet I guess. Though, I certainly wouldn't want Azula washing my dishes considering she'd probably just set them on fire or something.

We sit in silence for a while and then decide to join the rest of the camp for dinner.


	36. Part 3: Ch 12: Order of the White Lotus

**Zuko**

I wake up the next morning and lay in bed for a while as Sunny continues to sleep. I'm happy that things have worked out between us despite everything we had to go through. And I can't wait until we are married so I can wake up next to her everyday. She looks so pretty sleeping peacefully next to me that I think for a moment that we are on a camping trip together with the gAang here in the beautiful cliffs of Kayseri. She would really like that.

Too bad reality is a starkly different story.

I feel like I'm in some sort of twisted dream or nightmare (I'm not sure which one) with the love of my life here next to me but my sister on her way to kill me.

Gently, I wrap my arms around Sunny as I indulge in the dream part of my reality. She smiles at me, her eyes just a slit open, and then presses up against me as she kisses me. As usual, I feel my worries melt away in her kiss. I smile back at her as I touch the ring she put on her necklace (probably to keep it safe while she was undercover). Carefully, I take the ring off of the necklace and put it on her finger, where it belongs. I kiss her on the forehead and then get up and get ready for the day. She stays in bed a bit longer before she gets up and follows me outside to the fire-pit where the gAang is having breakfast.

"Kind of a familiar scene, huh?" I say as I observe the campsite. It is eerily similar to the scene from the campsite outside of Ba Sing Se, the day Aang defeated my 'father.'

"Morning Zuko, Sunny," Katara greets us from the other side of a giant pot of juk. She waterbends the juk to stir it and then scoops some into two bowls and passes them our way (_Author's Note: Juk - the Chinese and Korean word for porridge)_. I wonder why she doesn't waterbend the juk into the bowls? Though, I guess that's the least of my worries right now.

"Thanks Katara," Sunny says as she takes the bowls and hands one to me. "It's nice to see you all again."

"Seriously, it's been _forever_!" Suki says as runs up to us and hugs Sunny. "How was playing with the enemy?"

"It's hard for me to imagine Azula as the enemy, so it was really weird," Sunny replies. "But, I tried my best to pretend I really hate Zuko."

"Couldn't have been _that _hard," Sokka jokes. "We've all certainly been there before."

"Very funny Sokka." Sunny would never hate me (well except for that time when she did... but then she realized that she didn't).

We eat our breakfast and then help to fortify the campsite for Azula's arrival.

"They're here," Toph says a little before the sun is at its highest point for the day. She wiggles her toes a bit as if feeling for something and then continues, "And there are _a lot_ of them."

"Take your positions," Uncle calls out to the camp.

We take our positions and watch as Azula and her army approach the cliff-side where our camp is located. Her Dai Li Agents easily bend them down into the open area where we are standing. Toph and Bumi hold our fortifications steady, in case the Dai Li attempt to damage the campsite (not that they seem to be trying to or anything at the moment, but just in case).

I watch as Azula commands them to stop and then steps out before them.

"I'll take care of my brother myself," I hear her say to the Earth Kingdom General who seems to be in charge of the infantry.

I step out to meet her. Perhaps she will take me up on an Agni Kai so that no one else has to get hurt.

"Azula," I say as we approach one another. "Let's not get all these people into this. We can settle this, you and me. Then, whoever wins can be the Fire Lord. It's not like I particularly want to be Fire Lord anyways."

"Zu-Zu," she starts but then pauses for a moment. She looks like she is thinking about something but doesn't quite want to talk about it yet. I wait for her to continue but she doesn't.

"I don't understand why you are doing this after you turned down the position, which I willingly offered to you," I say after some time.

"Well, I thought it'll be more fun this way," she says with a mischievous smile, all signs of whatever she was thinking about before gone.

"Okay. But do you honestly think that you could defeat Uncle and the Avatar?" I ask in an attempt to convince her to stand down.

"No," she replies lightly. "I actually don't expect that I'd have to."

"What do you mean? Do you think that Aang is just going to let you overthrow me? I mean, Aang wants me to be Fire Lord more than I want to be Fire Lord so what makes you think he's not going to go all Avatar-y on you?"

"Whatever. Why don't we just get this over with - Agni Kai," she says as she takes her stance, blue flames in hand.

Years ago I would never have been able to win in an Agni Kai against Azula. But now, after everything Ran and Shaw have taught me, I feel confident in my ability to take her.

But I really don't want to.

"We don't have to do this Azula," I say as a final attempt to plead with her.

"You're right, we don't. But don't you think a little show for our friends here would be nice?" she replies. "They didn't come all this way for nothing."

I have no idea what she's talking about but I certainly understand the blue flames coming at me.

Blue and red fire fill the air as we duel. The two sides - my friends and family and Azula's Loyalists - watch in silence as they hold their positions, waiting for our signal to attack. I push her blue flames back with all the energy within me as I feel hers begin to wane. She relents for a moment and my flames push her to the ground. I watch as they singe the bottom of her boots. Quickly, I pull them back so she does not get hurt.

"Not bad, Zu-Zu," she says as she jumps back to her feet. "Now that was fun wasn't it?"

"Azula, please. I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh Zu-Zu, that's so sweet," she says with a playfully light smile. "But it's pretty obvious that you and your little friends here are grossly outnumbered," she adds, pointing to her group of Loyalists behind her.

"Numbers don't trump skill."

"You're right," she replies. "Dai Li," she screams as she holds up her hand and makes a fist. I guess that's some sort of signal for them to attack.

Toph and Bumi ready our defenses and I take my stance as we prepare for the Dai Li to attack. But, to my surprise, the Dai Li turn on the people Azula had brought with her and cuff them all at once. Woah, these guys are powerful. I look over at Azula, waiting for her to freak out when she realizes the Dai Li have turned on her but she doesn't. She just watches, with a satisfied look on her face, as they build a wall around the handcuffed Loyalists.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" she says when they are done.

"Azula?" I start but am not sure what to say next. I'm confused. Azula is not one to take misinterpreting an order lightly.

"Zuko," she says and then bows to me. Okay, now this is _really _weird. Is this all part of another one of her twisted schemes? "Behind me, trapped and bound, are those who not only want to overthrow you but who would go as far as to want to kill you."

"I don't understand." I want to believe her but I've been fooled by her so many times that it's hard for me to trust her. "How do I know this isn't just another one of your twisted schemes?!"

She's silent. I guess that's expected. It's not like Azula to try and convince you one way or the other about her. She is what she is and you either take it or you leave it. Maybe she's not lying? But, in a situation like this, where my friends and family's lives are at stake, I can't be too careful.

"It's not," Uncle says as he walks up behind me.

"What?" I turn around to make sure it's really Uncle's voice that I'm hearing behind me. It is. "Uncle, what are you talking about?"

"Well, technically, I suppose it _is_ all part of one of Azula's crafty plans," Uncle continues. "Azula and General Hyeong came up with it together. It was their idea to help gather up these Loyalists that have been causing you and the Earth Kingdom so much trouble these past few years," Uncle explains.

"Why would Azula do that?" I ask. "It's not like this plan benefits her in any way."

"Because she cares about you and because she cares about General Hyeong," Uncle replies.

I look over at Azula to see if this is true but she just seems annoyed.

"Zuko, the point is, General Hyeong and I were not conspiring against you, we were conspiring _for_ you," Azula interrupts before Uncle can continue talking about how much she cares about this and that.

"Right," Uncle says, clearly getting the hint that Azula would prefer him not to talk about her feelings and stuff. "Anyways, Azula is actually a member of the Order of the White Lotus."

"Uncle, you know that doesn't make any sense. The Order of the White Lotus is made up of a bunch of old _guys_. And Azula is clearly not old nor a guy," I reply. "No offense, of course," I add towards the old guys standing behind Uncle.

"Well, that's been true up until a few months ago," Uncle explains. "Azula is the newest and youngest member of the group."

"Okay. And you guys were all in on this plan to pretend to overthrow me?" I ask, confirming what I think is going on here.

"That's right. Azula and Hyeong approached us with this idea about a month ago and we all agreed that it would be the best way to deal with the Loyalists."

"I guess that makes sense," I reply. "Azula, who everyone knows as my 'evil' sister, is the perfect person to attempt to overthrow me. And, with her reputation of being extremely cunning and a brilliant firebender, I could see how many people would support her reign. But how come no one told _me_?!" I ask out of frustration.

"Well, we couldn't tell you. Otherwise, it wouldn't be believable," Azula replies as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. "Plus, I was counting on Sunny helping out with it all. Good thing she actually loves you or our plan wouldn't have worked out so well."

"Sunny was in on this too?" I ask in disbelief.

"Of course not Zu-Zu. I needed her to respond naturally or else you'd read right through her. You and I both know she's a horrible liar."

"Only to people she's close to," I note.

"Is that so?" she says with a somewhat warm smile (I didn't realize that it was possible for Azula to be 'warm,' but apparently it is).

"Well, thanks Azula," I say as we pack up the campsite and head back to Capital City.

"No need to thank me, _brother_. Rallying up the Loyalists, overthrowing you, and chasing you down was really quite fun," she says in her typical playful but sinister manner.

_Brother_, I think to myself. This must be the first time Azula actually called me 'brother.' It feels nice to have an actual sister for once, no matter how weird she is.

"I'm glad my misery was entertaining for you," I reply, half joking.

She smiles, content with her success I suppose.

"I guess we're even now," she says after a while.

"Even?"

"Yeah," she replies as if I should know what she's talking about. "Considering everything I put you through growing up, I think this sort of evens it out, no?"

"Oh..." I suppose this is Azula's way of saying 'I'm sorry?' "Sure, sister. Not that I was holding a grudge or anything."

"I'm _sure_ you weren't," she says sarcastically.

"No really. I just wanted, more than anything, for you to find your destiny and to be able to find peace within yourself."

She doesn't respond though I can tell by her expression that she's thinking about it. We're silent for a while.

"Thanks Zuko," she says as we enter the palace. "I know it's hard to believe but I _have_ found peace within myself and I've actually been able to let go of that anger that was inside of me for so long. Once I finally realized that Mother really did love me as much as she loved you, I was able to recognize that my anger was unreasonable. But, without it, I didn't know who I was. All my life I was fueled by that anger and once it was gone, so was I."

"But you've found yourself?" I can't believe Azula is actually opening up to me.

"Yes. It wasn't easy but I'm pretty good at most things so it's not like it was incredibly difficult either. When you offered me the position after our trip to find Mother, I realized that there's no way I could ever be the Fire Lord. You weren't there then, but last time I was going to be Fire Lord, I almost lost my mind. There's something about the position that just makes me crazy. I guess I just don't know how to deal with that kind of power. But you, you're good at it. I think mostly because you don't think you are."

I think about it for a while. I'm not sure why she's saying she wouldn't make a good Fire Lord.

"I think you'd make a good Fire Lord," I say. "I mean, you are smart and cunning. Plus, you're a brilliant firebender."

"That's not what it's about, Zuko," she replies. "Anyways, that's besides the point. Being Fire Lord is your destiny, not mine."

"Then what's yours?"

"I'm not sure. But, ironically, I think I need to be in the Earth Kingdom. I mean, I didn't become the leader of the Dai Li for nothing."

"Right, I guess that makes sense. Destiny-"

"Is a funny thing," she completes my sentence with a smile.

I laugh. Never in my life would I have thought Azula out of all people would _ever_ quote Uncle.

"It sure is. But General Hyeong's the leader of the Dai Li now," I start but then suddenly realize, "Hey, are you two dating?"

"That's none of your business," she replies firmly. She looks angry but, from the flush of color in her face, I can tell that's a 'yes.'

"Nice." I can't believe Azula is dating an earthbender! Destiny is _hilarious_.

"Whatever. That's not the point. Whether I'm with him or not, I think my destiny is-"

"In Ba Sing Se," I think out-loud, cutting her off by accident.

"Yes," she replies.

"That sounds exactly like something someone _really_ special told me once," I say, referring to Sunny leaving me for Ba Sing Se so many years ago. I smile at the thought of how well things turned out for us. "You know, there's a position opening up really soon and I think you'd be perfect for the job. Plus, it would take you to the Earth Kingdom, to Ba Sing Se."

"What is it?" She looks somewhat interested but I know Azula isn't one to jump into things without knowing what she's getting herself into.

"Well, I'm sort of looking for a new Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom."

"Um, are you planning to fire Sunny or something?"

"Yup. Don't tell her I said this but she's horrible at going undercover and I obviously need somebody who could do a better job," I joke.

"Very funny," she replies and then rolls her eyes. "You two are back together, huh?"

I smile.

"That's good. She's much more fun when she's not crying," she says, pretending to not really care.

"Thanks for taking care of her, Azula," I reply. "You know, you make a pretty good sister when you want to be."

"Well she's the first person in my life that was actually genuinely nice to me," she admits. "So, I wouldn't want her to starve to death or something."

"Of course not." I smile. I can tell she really cares about Sunny but is incredibly uncomfortable talking about it (probably because she's not used to caring about people). "So, you going to take the job?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Sure, whatever," she says as if she doesn't really care, though I can tell by the flare in her eyes that she's really excited about it.

"Perfect!" I think about hugging her but then refrain. I'm sure she'd freak out or something and I sort of want to hang out with her a bit longer.

We walk over to the palace pond and sit down under the tree where we've sat so many times before. But this time, everything is different. This time, Azula isn't throwing mud at my face, burning bushes, or trying to drown the turtle ducks. This time, we sit and talk about our lives. We reminisce about our childhood - our mother, our friends, our school, everything.

It's weird how now, after all this time, I am able to look back on memories that were once so painful and laugh.

And it seems that, under that cold shell of hers, Azula was just as broken and lonely as I was. And, I suddenly realize that even though she was actually father's real daughter, he didn't treat her all that different than he treated me. His rejection and disdain for her must have hurt her even more than it hurt me, especially since she's known all this time that I am not his real son. Either way, I'm thankful that we are both free from the hatred and anger that he had placed in our hearts; free to live lives of peace and love; free to know and accept ourselves as who we are; and free to love each other as brother and sister.

Okay, that last part may be going a bit far. But, hey, maybe someday it'll be true.

At least she obviously doesn't hate me anymore.

That's a start, right?


	37. Part 3: Ch 13: The End

**Sunny**

After our return from Kayseri, I spend the next three months in 'beauty school,' which actually isn't all that bad. I mean, it's kind of nice to not have to think about Azula killing Zuko or being tortured or something for a change. They put me in the East Wing of the palace, where I'm held prisoner (I mean, where I'm staying) until Zuko and I are married.

Because of tradition, I haven't been able to actually see Zee so we've been writing letters to each other instead. Apparently, the 'beautification' process includes being completely and utterly deprived of seeing _any_ man, especially Zuko, with the exception of my father. And that's only because he's my only family member. Otherwise, I wouldn't be allowed to see Dad either. I think it's a little overboard but then again it's actually kind of nice to read and write letters to Zee.

Azula, Katara, and Toph come and visit me a few times a month and Suki comes down to the spa for a facial or a mud bath almost every day. She says it's to keep me company but I'm sure she actually enjoys being pampered as well.

Sokka has proposed to her so we get to talk about wedding planning _all _the time. I'm happy that I get to share this experience with her though her wedding planning seems like much more fun than mine considering she gets a lot more creative freedom (and freedom in general) than I do. They plan to get married four months from now at Kyoshi Island. They thought about having it at the Southern Water Tribe but then decided that Kyoshi Island is a much more colorful place. Plus, that's where they met so it makes sense to have it there.

Thankfully, Sokka has decided to move to Capital City and start a 'swordbending' (as he calls it) school after they are married. I'm glad since that means I'll have a place to hang out when Zuko is busy working. Though, Zee insists that I help re-vamp the national firebending curriculum and continue to train the Special Forces with Dad and General Mak. So, I'm guessing I won't have much free time for a while. I don't mind of course, since I'm pretty sure I'd go crazy if I had nothing to do.

Azula seems to really like her new role as the Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom, which makes sense since she's obviously way too young to retire and play Pai Sho all day with the rest of the Order of the White Lotus. Plus, it works out really well with her dating General Hyeong, whom I have yet to meet. I wonder if she bosses him around like she did with the rest of the Dai Li? Though, from what she tells me, I doubt it.

"You ready, sis?" Azula asks as she enters my room.

"Azula!" I reply. "I was just thinking about you."

"I hope they were good thoughts," she says with a smile.

"Of course. I was just wondering when I'd get to meet your boyfriend."

"Well, he's not allowed to miss my brother's wedding, so you'll meet him soon enough."

"Great! I was also wondering if you boss him around like the rest of the Dai Li?" I ask playfully.

She rolls her eyes and then steps out of the room. I follow her to the royal hair washing room (or whatever they call it) and they wash our hair. Then they spend what feels like hours prettying me up for the big event. I don't understand why they have to go through such a long process but if I had to guess, I bet it's tradition.

Afterwards, I'm dressed in a traditional Fire Nation royal wedding gown and put into a palanquin to be transported to the garden.

"You look really pretty," Azula says before she hugs me goodbye and heads over to the ceremony.

"Thanks, sis."

Funny how different Azula is from the Azula I met a lifetime ago in the asylum. She seems so happy now; so at peace with herself. And the thought of _her _actually hugging me just now is kind of amazing. I laugh to myself as I reminisce about how she nearly burned my hair off the first time I tried to hug her.

My father takes my hand as I climb out of the palanquin and he walks me down the aisle, toward Zuko at the other end. Seeing him makes me so happy I could cry but I try and force myself not to since it would probably ruin the makeup they put all over my face this morning. Between us are all of our family and friends - Uncle, the gAang, Azula (and her boyfriend), and people from all over the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. Even Earth King Kuei, who never leaves Ba Sing Se, is here (although, thankfully, he seems to have left Bosco at home)!

I focus my attention on Zuko, who is staring at me with the cutest grin ever, and I smile. I think about the first (well second) time we met - at Uncle's tea shop so many years ago. Before I knew he was the Fire Lord (or, more accurately, the Crown Prince at that time); before I found my Dad; before I became the Ambassador; before _everything_.

If someone had told me then that I would be standing here today, in the royal palace (a place that I had tried so hard to wipe from my memory), in a wedding gown, walking towards the Fire Lord, I would have thought they were absolutely insane.

But, as I look up at my Fire Lord, all I see the boy who I met in Ba Sing Se; the friend who I was able to open up to when I had no one else to talk to; the person who sort of indirectly helped me find my father; the best friend who let me go and find my destiny even when it hurt him so much to do so; the person who believes in me even when I don't have the courage to believe in myself.

When I look at him, all I see is the man whose arms are my _home_.

**Zuko**

I watch as Sunny and her Dad walk down the aisle toward me. I feel my heart beating uncontrollably as I admire how beautiful she looks in her red dress. She smiles at me as tears slowly run down her face. I smile back. It's strange to think that after all this time, and after everything we've been through, that I could fall even more in love with her than I already am. But, as she walks towards me, I feel myself melt into her radiance.

Her Dad gives me her hand and I look into her beautiful golden eyes as the official goes on and on about something. He takes our rings and gives them to us.

"I love you, Sunshine," I whisper as she puts my ring on my finger.

"I love you too, Zee," she says, warmly looking into my eyes.

The official continues and I wait until he says that I can kiss her before I reach over and kiss her more deeply than I've ever kissed her before. We kiss for a while as the crowd cheers. It's weird for our love to be on display but I guess that's what weddings are - a public display of the love between two people. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I think for a moment that maybe we should have just eloped instead. But then again, I guess it's more fun for everyone else this way. Plus, I wouldn't want to piss off her Dad or Uncle. That would really burn (literally).

We have a three day celebration out of tradition. Obviously, there are firebenders and food. But, and I'm sure this has never happened at a Fire Nation royal wedding before, there is also earthbending, waterbending, and airbending, dancing, actually fun music, dragons (yeah, dragons), and an air bison.

Weird.

When I imagined being Fire Lord when I was young, I never imagined that people from every nation would be at my wedding or that there would be dancing and... dragons. I mean, I didn't even know dragons still existed. I guess that explains why Sunny was so captivated by those dragon fireworks at the dragon festival we went to years ago. She must have been imagining Ran and Shaw.

Before my banishment, all I wanted was to continue my 'father's' legacy. But now, what I want to do most is to reverse it. And, I'm so grateful that I get to marry the most beautiful and free-spirited person I've ever met, my Sunshine, who I'm sure can help me achieve that goal. Not only is she dedicated to the peace between the nations but she's obviously able to put aside her feelings and objectively evaluate what's best for my nation. Her calm cools the storm within me and her tendency to think things through balances my natural inclination to jump into things.

At the end of the third day, we thank everyone for coming and then head up to our room.

While she was 'locked away' (in her words) for beautification, I took the liberty of moving some of her personal items from her home in town to our quarters so that she would feel more at home here in the palace. I tucked Ran and Shaw (the stuffed versions of course) into our bed, put her family photo next to mine on the desk, and placed her potted dragon-roses on a table in the balcony.

"It's nice and homey in here," she notes as we enter our room.

"Yeah, I had to break into your apartment and steal some things. I hope you don't mind," I reply playfully.

"Oh, breaking and entering, huh?" she says with a mischievous smile. "That sounds like fun."

"You've been hanging around Azula a lot, huh?" I say as I kiss her. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to invite you two next time."

We kiss for a while before I decide to take a shower and enjoy the view from our balcony. I like to sit out here and look out at the city, especially when I'm thinking.

She takes off all of her make up, takes a shower, and then gets into one of my robes before she joins me on the balcony. I look up at her as she happily walks over to the bench. She looked really pretty these past few days all made-up like a beautiful Fire Nation doll but she's even more beautiful now, without all the make-up and fancy dresses.

"Man, I love this robe," she says as she cuddles up next to me. "I think I'm going to live in it from now on. It's much more comfortable than all those traditional dresses, no offense of course," she adds as she looks up at me with a smirk.

She's so cute that I reach over and kiss her.

"I think I'd like you out of that robe better," I reply with a sly smile.

She laughs (though I was totally being serious) and then kisses me. We sit and stare out at the city for a while. I think back about the first time we sat here together, so many years ago, when she pointed out all the various places from her childhood. It's funny how, at that time, I dreamed that she'd be my wife though I was fully convinced that I'd never hold her again.

"Funny how we sat here, watching the sun set in this exact spot years ago, talking about how we could never be together. And now, here we are - together," I say as I hold her in my arms.

A smile spreads across my face as I imagine the rest of our lives together (little Zeva and Iroh included of course). Maybe, after our children are grown, we could travel the world together and continue to promote peace and love between the nations. Okay, I know that's thinking way too far ahead but I think she'd like that.

"Destiny is a funny thing," she replies.

"It sure is, Sunshine. It sure is."

* * *

THE END

* * *

Thanks for reading! This is my first attempt at writing fiction and it's been really fun. I hope you liked it and much as I enjoyed writing it~!

* * *

Some final thoughts:

_There are people who come into our lives and change us forever. They don't all necessarily stay forever but that doesn't mean that the love that was shared wasn't real or that the impact that they had doesn't last a lifetime. Destiny is a funny thing and loss is a very real part of each of our lives. But the loss of a loved one is never a complete loss altogether. Sometimes people come into our lives for a season to help us through things that we wouldn't have been able to make it through alone._

This story is a combination of the many loves and losses that I've had in my life (lovers, family members, friends, etc.) and I hope you got something out of it beyond just a cute love story.

* * *

A little bit about me (in case you are wondering):

I was born in Hong Kong, raised in New York City, and currently reside in Los Angeles. I love to travel and have lived in Beijing where I had the opportunity to visit many different cities in China including Ping Yao and Tian Jian (real places). Also, Kayseri is an actual city in Turkey. I live a pretty scattered life and have personally discovered that 'home' is more than just a physical location. I've been lucky enough to have visited Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central America. And I hope to continue to travel and explore the vastly different, yet eerily similar, cultures and religions of the world. I also hope to continue writing.

* * *

Special thanks to Magee123 for all the feedback and encouragement. :)


	38. Part 4: Ch 1: Registration

******PART IV: FIREBENDING FUN**

* * *

Hello, adding some post-marriage chapters for fun (Sue, yes, there will eventually be children).

Enjoy~! :)

* * *

**Sunny**

"Identification please," the man behind the desk says without looking up from his papers.

I take out my identification and place it on the desk. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get it updated since Zuko and I were married.

He scans his list. "I'm sorry, I don't see your name here." He hands my identification back and signals for me to get out of the line.

"Oh, I'm mainly here to observe the training and the event. I'm doing some field work for the National Firebending Curriculum."

"Right, well you should have registered." He seems a bit annoyed that I haven't gotten out of the line yet but I really do need to get in somehow. Apparently this is the best place for Special Forces recruitment and, being tasked with re-vamping the firebending curriculum for the nation, I think it would be a good place to observe how the best firebenders in our nation are trained.

"Can't I register now?" I ask politely.

"You can _buy a ticket_." He (finally) looks up at me and points in the direction of the ticket kiosk.

"We already have tickets but that doesn't help with my fieldwork. I need to be... well, in the field to do fieldwork," I explain. "Can't I purchase a trainer badge?"

"Like I said, you should have registered. All the trainer positions are filled. Come back next year if you want to be a trainer." He hands me a registration form for next year's event and then looks back down at his papers. "Identification please," he says to the next person in line.

Ugh, coming back next year isn't going to help me make the improvements that we need to make to our curriculum now!

"You could sign up as a participant," the girl sitting at the next desk suggests. Thank goodness, a nice person for a change!

"A participant?"

"Yeah, well, if you qualify that is." She hands me a paper with the official rules on it. "It would allow you to be... 'in the field,' or whatever you call it."

"No, I don't think that's a good-"

"Yes! She'll do it," Sokka's voice cuts in. He grabs the paper from my hand and reads it out loud. "Official Rules - Must be a firebender between the ages of 16 and 25. Check." He flips the paper over, looking for more rules on the back side perhaps, and then flips it back and forth a few times before looking up at me. "Well that was a short list of rules. It looks like you qualify."

"Hey, that means I qualify as well!" Aang says as he and Katara walk up to us.

"Aang!" I hug Aang and Katara whom I haven't seen since Suki and Sokka's wedding last month. "What are you all doing here?"

"Zuko got us a box," Katara replies.

"The Annual Firebending Nationals!" Aang says with a sparkle in his eyes. "Kuzon and I used to come and watch the competition every year. I wouldn't miss it for the world!" He's so excited he can hardly contain himself. "Well... maybe for the _world_ but that's not the point. Anyways, how do I sign up?"

"_You're_ a firebender?" the girl behind the desk asks. She looks confused, which makes sense I guess since Aang clearly doesn't look like a firebender. He's dressed all wrong.

"Of course!" Aang demonstrates with an unnecessarily elaborate show. Fireballs, whips, flashing dragons, and even a firenado fill the air as people gather to watch.

"Nice flames!" the crowd cheers.

"Oh, actually, Aang..." Sokka interrupts, holding up the 'Official Rules.' The show comes to an end. Aang walks over to Sokka and looks over his shoulder at the paper in his hand. "It says here in the fine print that the Avatar is not allowed to participate."

He frowns, disappointed.

"Who else is excluded?" I ask, hoping that the fine print would somehow exclude me as well.

"Just the Avatar and the Fire Lord. Everyone else is fair game."

"Which means you can participate!" Suki says, urging me to sign up.

"I don't-"

"She'll do it," Aang says to the girl behind the desk. He grabs my identification and hands it to her. "If _I_ can't participate, somebody should."

"Great, it looks like you fall within the age range. Now all you have to do is pass the initial assessment test." She returns my identification and then takes us into the arena to an open area with a number of targets ranging from 30 to 90 meters in distance. I firebend the targets and pass the test. "See, it's not _that_ scary."

I'm not _scared_, I think to myself. I would just very much prefer not to participate in some highly commercialized firebending competition. I don't like being the center of attention and I think that competitions such as these are just a way for people to show off. Plus, real skill comes from dedicated combat training and experience, not firebending inanimate objects at various distances.

"Thanks," I reply, keeping my opinions to myself. It's probably best not to go off on some lecture about people needing 'real life combat experiences.' That could very easily be taken the wrong way. And I definitely wouldn't want people to think that I want to start another war or something (a sore subject for pretty much everyone alive). "I just sort of wanted to observe."

"Well, there's no better way to observe than to participate! Come, I'll show you to the training grounds."

The gAang is not allowed in so they head back over to the stands, promising to cheer for me. I follow the girl into the tunnel to the locker room where we pick up an official participant uniform for me before we head over to the training grounds.

She introduces me to some of the trainers and then leaves me to my practice.

Maybe I could learn some new forms and stuff here, I think to myself, trying to focus on the positives of the situation.

And maybe this could even be _somewhat_ fun.


	39. Part 4: Ch 2: The Participants

**Sunny**

"So where should we start?" one of the trainers asks after the girl leaves.

"Um, I guess I'd like to start by practicing the basics." I'm not sure how this training works but I know it never hurts to start with the fundamentals.

"Very good choice. Without the basics, one cannot hope to become a good firebender. I suppose, since you are here, that you have been bending for some time now?"

"Yes ma'am, all my life," I reply.

"Great, then I expect that your basics are solid." She signals for me to demonstrate.

I flow through the routine my father had taught me when I was young, adding some Sun Warrior funk to it here and there.

"Excellent. Your stance is perfect and your footwork is near flawless."

"Thank you." I bow in respect.

She firebends at me and I deflect. What was that for?! Her flames turn into whips and she begins to swing at me furiously. I dodge - left and then right, left and then right, then right again. Woah that one caught me a bit off guard. I roll to the left and then firebend a series of plates at her, much like the earthbenders would do with stone. She deflects them and then suddenly stops attacking me.

Um, what just happened there? Did she seriously just attack me?! Perhaps it was a test.

"Impressive. Where did you learn to do that?" she asks, likely referring to my fire-plates.

"In Ba Sing Se. I trained under a master earthbender for seven years."

"Interesting. I think this year's competition will be rather entertaining." She places one hand on my shoulder and smiles. "Carry on then."

That's it?! She was fun to duel and I was hoping to practice with her some more. I look around and observe some of the other participants. I watch as a young girl practices her fire-kicks. She's good! Her fire is powerful but lacks reach. I walk over to her to encourage her.

"Wow, you're good!"

She stops for a second and looks over at me. "I know," she says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Okay... I didn't really expect her to respond like _that_. Usually, when someone compliments me, I at least thank them or something.

"You know, your flames would go much further if you kick just a tad bit higher," I suggest.

"Whatever," she replies, continuing to kick an inch or two too low.

She would also benefit _a lot_ if she listened to some constructive criticism, I add to myself.

"Don't waste your time," the girl from the registration desk says as she walks up to me.

"Oh, hey... I don't know your name. You're here!"

"The name's Uzo. And, yeah, I wouldn't miss it for the world," she quotes Aang dully. Clearly, she doesn't care much to be here. I think I like her.

"What's with the girl?" I ask.

"Oh, that's JJ. She's one of the best firebenders here. She's from the Liang family, a very affluent family from Capital City. Her father tried to bribe the officials to let her in early when she was 15."

"Tried to? Did they take it?"

"Nope. They fined her instead, banning her from the competition for three years. So, this is her first time here even though she _should_ have been able to compete two years ago. _Some people_ still have morals."

"Thankfully," I say, relieved.

"Anyways, she's here this year and, to be honest, she's really good. In fact, most people are rooting for her to win." She looks annoyed.

"Well, being a good bender is one thing but you can't get better if you aren't able to take some constructive criticism."

She laughs as if that's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. "Right. Tell that to her Dad!"

"Okay. Where is he?" I look around to see if I can guess who her Dad is.

"I'm kidding, Sunny. Her Dad never shows up to practice."

"Oh. But he'll be here for the show, right?" I ask, a bit concerned. I can't imagine if my Dad never showed up to... whatever it is that I do.

"Not usually but maybe this time will be different."

"Oh." I feel bad for her but that's still not an excuse to not listen to people when they are trying to help! Dad or no Dad, if someone is willing to go out of their way to help you, you should really accept that help.

"Anyways, you want to grab some lunch?" Uzo asks, breaking through my angry thoughts.

"Sure."

We walk over to the canteen, grab two plates of food from the assembly line, and then sit down at one of the tables set up for the participants. The canteen kind of reminds me of the mess hall I used to eat at when I was with the Earth Kingdom Army (except they serve Fire Nation food here of course). I smile thinking about my days in the Army. Wow, that was a long time ago.

"You sure look happy to be eating crappy cafeteria food. They don't feed you much at home or something?" she asks playfully.

I laugh. The palace cooks generally keep me pretty well fed, I think to myself. In fact, I think I may have gained like six pounds or something in the past month! Thankfully, Zuko doesn't seem to mind but I think I should really try and cut down on the mochi (but homemade mochi is so good!).

"Oh, the canteen just sort of reminds me of the mess hall," I explain, keeping my thoughts about the palace, Zuko, and mochi to myself.

"The mess hall?"

"Never mind."

"You're weird. Where are you from anyways?" she asks.

"Well, I live in Capital City... you saw my papers."

"Didn't really look at them. Just checked to verify your age and that you're not the Avatar or the Fire Lord, which _clearly_ you aren't."

We laugh. This girl is funny. "It can't be _that_ hard to distinguish the Fire Lord and the Avatar from other people," I say playfully. "I mean, Zuko has his scar and Aang has his tattoos and stuff."

"Right. Speaking of the Avatar, you friends with him or something?"

"Oh, Aang? Yeah, we met in Ba Sing Se."

"I'm confused. Didn't you just tell me you're from..." she starts but is then completely distracted by something (or someone). I follow her gaze to a rather familiar looking guy. He has long spikey hair, round eyes, and a sort of square-ish face. Not bad looking, I think to myself. But something about the way he walks like he's the Fire Lord or something makes me really dislike him. Plus, he looks kind of familiar. Oh right, that jerk from the trainer's registration table!

I nudge her arm. "Hey, you still here?" She shakes her head and then looks down at her food, stabbing the pieces of meat on her plate with more force than necessary. "Who is that?" I ask.

"Kento." She looks at me quizzically as if I should really know. "Do you live under a rock or something? He's the reigning champion of the Nationals for the past three years; he's going for a fourth now."_  
_

"Wow, he must be good!" I think I'm a little impressed to be honest but that still doesn't excuse his nasty attitude.

"He _is_."

She stares at him in a strange way but then quickly looks away when he turns our way. He smiles and then comes over to us. He puts his plate down next to hers and sits down.

"What do you want Kento?" she asks, annoyed.

"Just saying 'hi' to an old friend."

"Hi." She rolls her eyes and continues to stab violently at her food.

He looks over at me and scoffs. "So I see you made your way into the 'field.'"

"Really Kento? Can't you just back off?"

"What?" he says, looking at her playfully. "I can't talk to your pretty new friend?"

"Please, just leave us alone," I say calmly. This guy is a jerk and is clearly making Uzo very uncomfortable so I would really prefer if he just left.

"I'll leave you alone if you can beat me in an Agni Kai," he says, arrogantly laughing to himself.

Wow. "An Agni Kai is not a challenge to be taken lightly!" I rebuke him.

"Oh, sorry _mother_, I didn't realize it bothered you so much." _  
_

"Seriously, you should just leave us alone." Uzo glares at him and signals for him to leave.

"Okay, geez. I'm just playing." He takes his plate and goes and sits with some friends of his. They stare and laugh at us rudely. Man, and I thought my first few weeks training in the palace were bad! These people are ridiculous.

"What's _his_ problem?" I ask when he is finally gone.

"He doesn't like me."

"I can tell. But why?"

"Well, we dated for a while but then I broke it off with him."

"Oh..." She's really honest for someone I just met. "Why'd you guys break up? Because he's a jerk?" I ask playfully.

She laughs. "Thanks, Sunny. But no. I just... I don't know. He was really clingy and I wasn't ready for commitment so I sort of neglected him. Then one day he blew up on me. I think he was upset about not getting into the Special Forces, again, and he sort of took it out on me so I broke it off."

"Sounds a lot like what happened between my boyfriend and I," I admit, referring to what happened between Zee and I during the Ping Yao mission.

"Oh? Did it end up working out for you two?"

I show her my ring and smile thinking about Zee. I haven't seen him in three days and I know that's not a long time or anything but I miss him. I wish I could have went to Ba Sing Se with him and Azula but I know I had to come here instead.

Hopefully, he'll be here soon.

She stares at my ring and then grabs my hand to look at it more closely. "Is that a fire-diamond? And it's like, what, a million carats?!"

"I don't know. Anyways, that's not the point." I take my hand back and hide it under the table so she doesn't continue to stare at the ring. "If you really love him, I wouldn't give up so easily on the relationship."

"I guess... he's just... I don't know. He can be a real jerk sometimes."

"You've got that right! I can see why the Special Forces wouldn't want him."

"Why?" she asks, genuinely curious. I can tell by her curiosity that she obviously cares about him more than she admits.

"Well, because he's so arrogant. It takes a lot of humility to be Special Forces," I explain. "It's not an easy job and we... I mean they need soldiers who can work well _together_ in difficult and often ambiguous situations. And he doesn't seem like the type who would do well when he's not the one in control."

"That's true I guess." She seems a bit sad now, pushing around the food that she had so violently stabbed just minutes ago.

"So, what's _your_ story?" I ask to change the subject.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you a participant or a volunteer or something?"

"Oh, I'm a participant. I've been coming every year since I was 16. I'm considered to be pretty good but I never make it past the obstacle course. I just concentrate too hard or something. I don't know."

"The obstacle course?"

"You really have no idea what you signed up for, do you?" she asks.

I laugh and then smile at her. "Nope! But I don't really mind since I sort of like surprises."

"Okay. Well I'll explain anyways. The Nationals consist of three phases. The first phase is where all the participants are paired, based on their scores on the assessment test, to duel one another. Basically, everyone is put into two groups - those who score the highest, and everyone else. They are paired up in such a way as to quickly eliminate as many contestants are possible. After the first round of dueling, most of the 'everyone elses' are gone and the participants go through a second and third round of duels until twelve participants remain."

"That sounds like fun! What comes after that?"

"The second phase. In the second phase, the twelve remaining participants are put through a number of firebending challenges. These challenges consist of building firewalls to test your ability to control your flames, firebending moving objects to test your accuracy, an obstacle course to test your versatility, and free-form bending to test your creativity. This is the part that generally gets me. I'm able to create firewalls, shoot moving objects, and put on a good fire show but I can't seem to get through the obstacle course."

"Hmm... that kind of makes sense," I reply. "Getting through an obstacle course, assuming it is set up properly, requires you to let go of, instead of embrace, your natural inclination to predict, analyse, and control a situation. It requires that you trust your instincts and your senses more than your mind, which is something that can be very difficult for people to do."

"Okay. Well, how do you suggest I do _that_?" she asks.

"Hmm, maybe I can help."

She chuckles. "I don't know. I don't know if anyone can help me."

"Hey, you're talking to the ultimate obstacle course record holder here," I say, referring to the Special Forces training obstacle course record that I broke when I first started my training. Since then, I've helped to redesign it to be more unpredictable and have played in it more than I'd like to admit. There's something about the unpredictable that's just so exciting to me. I guess that's why I'm so attracted to Zuko.

"Huh?" Clearly, she has no idea what I'm talking about.

"Never mind. The point is, I think I can help you."

"I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a try," she replies. "I'll take all the help I can get. But maybe we should practice for tomorrow first?"

"Sure."

We spend the rest of the afternoon dueling and practicing for Phase 1 tomorrow before we head over to the dorms for a good night's sleep. Luckily, she is able to convince the person who does the room arrangements to dorm us together.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, I know this is a **Zuko** love story. Don't worry, he's coming! :)**

**Also, I'm looking for beta readers (just found out what that is and think it would be useful) for the rest of the chapters as I work on them. ****Please PM me if you can help out. Thanks~!**


	40. Part 4: Ch 3: Obstacle Courses

**Zuko**

I head over to Uncle's for a cup of tea before I fly out to Darvaza for the Firebending Nationals. Sunny has gone ahead of me to observe the training and I hope she is able to get some good information out of it.

I'm glad that she's taken up the task of re-vamping the National Firebending Curriculum. It's been a long time since anyone has taken a serious look at it and I think that, considering she's one of the only benders who have trained with the original masters themselves, she's the perfect person for the job. Plus, I wouldn't want her to get bored in the palace with nothing to do. She may start redecorating the whole place if she did, which wouldn't be so bad but I have a feeling she'd get really sick of it after the first few weeks.

I walk through the square not far from Uncle's shop where they are having the Annual Dragon Festival. I admire the dragon fireworks as I think back about Sunny and I's first date. That was the first time she let me hold her hand, something that I seem to have taken for granted over the past few years.

I guess that dragon vendor was right, those dragons _did_ make her happy. Speaking of the stuffed dragon vendor, I wonder how he's doing? I look for the vendor and find that he is selling stuffed Appas instead of dragons this year. Who sells stuffed Appas at a _Dragon_ Festival?!

"Stuffed Appa?" he offers as I stop to take a look.

"No thank you. Why are you selling stuffed Appas and not dragons?" I ask out of curiosity.

"I'm a business man and stuffed Appas sell like hotcakes, friend! The girls love them." He winks at me and holds one out for me to purchase. "I'm sure your girlfriend would really like one."

"I don't have a girlfriend." Well, not since she became my _wife_, I add to myself.

"Well, then maybe this could help you get one," he suggests.

I laugh and then decide to purchase an Appa. Sunny generally likes dragons more than sky bison but I suppose a stuffed Appa couldn't hurt.

I pick up some duck-pig for Uncle and then continue over to the tea house. I let myself in and find the members of the Order of the White Lotus sitting around a table, drinking tea. I'm a little surprised they aren't playing Pai Sho.

"Zuko," Uncle welcomes me, signaling for me to take a seat at the table. I sit and he pours me a cup of tea.

"Hi," I greet the group. They all look a bit too serious for a tea party. "Maybe I should come back another time," I suggest. I'd hate to disturb some sort of serious White Lotus meeting.

"No. That's alright, son," Jeong Jeong replies. _Son_, I think to myself. I'm still not entirely used to Jeong Jeong being my father-in-law yet but, I have to admit, it's kind of nice to have a father for a change. "It is probably best that you know."

"Yes. Fire Lord Zuko should know," Bumi says, staring at me in a weird way.

"Know what?" I ask, confused. What's going on here? Why is everyone acting so strange and why are they in such a gloomy mood?

"Fung..." he continues. I look around the room for Fung but he's no where to be found.

"Is something wrong with Fung?"

They are silent. I guess that's a 'yes.'

"Fung..." Uncles says but then pauses before he continues. "Fung is gone." _Gone?_ By his tone of voice and the depressed faces around the table, I'm guessing he means Fung has passed away. I look down at my cup of tea and, even though I wasn't close to Fung or anything, feel a great sense of loss.

"They will be having a memorial a few days from now in the Misty Palms Oasis," Bumi states and then looks around as if he's forgetting something.

"And he would have liked it if you attended," Piandao adds, finishing Bumi's thought.

"Of course. I'll let the gAang know as well."

I sit quietly at the table for the next few hours as the group reminisces about Fung and I suddenly regret not getting to know him better. Though I guess I didn't really have much of a chance _to_ get to know him.

I help Uncle clean up and close the shop after his friends leave.

"Do you want me to stay for a while?" I ask as we walk to his apartment. I can tell that he is still upset and I would hate to leave him all alone.

"No, nephew." He forces a smile but the sadness in his eyes is undeniable. "I'm sure you have important things to take care of."

I open the front door and help him inside. "They can wait until morning."

He's silent for a while, as if thinking it through. "I suppose it would be nice to have some company."

"What are you talking about Uncle? I live here," I reply in an attempt to lighten his mood. I think back about when we lived here together so many years ago and smile. I kind of miss living with Uncle. Life was so simple then (and meetings-free).

His sadness lifts momentarily. "You did, didn't you."

We sit at the kitchen table and I listen to him talk, cry, and reminisce about his friend until morning. I invite him to come to the Firebending Nationals to get his mind off things but he turns down my offer. I guess a fun fueled competition isn't what he needs right now.

The next day, I help Uncle open up the tea shop and then head out to Darvaza.

**Sunny**

The next morning, Phase 1 of the competition begins. Uzo and I easily breeze through the morning matches and secure our spots in the Top 12. I watch the score boards and observe that our _good friends_ Kento and JJ have advanced as well. I'm not surprised since they are both objectively quite good.

Afterwards, I meet up with Uzo at the canteen for lunch.

"Nice job!" I say as I see her approaching.

"You're not too bad yourself," she replies with a playful smile.

"You know, I kind of expected more of a challenge," I admit modestly.

She laughs.

"Don't worry, you'll get a challenge in Phase 3," a bratty voice chimes in. I look over to the source of the voice. JJ, of course. "If you make it that far that is," she adds.

"Phase 3?"

"Where'd you find this girl?" JJ asks Uzo.

"Oh, I don't know. She just randomly signed up yesterday."

"Whatever." Clearly she doesn't actually care where I'm from. "After Phase 2 tomorrow, the twelve contestants are narrowed down to four based on their scores on the four firebending challenges. Then, the four are pitted against each other in Agni Kais." Her eyes flare up as if silently challenging me. I bet she can't wait to try to burn me.

"The last part is kind of cool, it takes place in the Pit of Fire!" Uzo adds, excited. "Not that I've actually ever competed in Phase 3..."

"The Pit of Fire? That sounds cool but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Seriously?" JJ rolls her eyes.

"The Pit of Fire is a natural burning crater about 70 meters wide," Uzo explains. "It's down in the valley behind the arena. They say it's been burning for decades. No one knows how the fire started but the natural gases below it kept it burning."

"Cool! I can't wait till we get to go see it!"

"_We_?" JJ replies. I'm guessing by her response that she doesn't expect to see Uzo or me there. She shrugs and then waves her hand as if we aren't worth a second thought. "Whatever. I need to go practice. They say the Fire Lord is coming to watch this year so I need to make sure I win."

Right, I totally forgot Zuko was on his way! He said he was going to arrive last night but I haven't heard from him at all. I wonder if something happened? Since Azula had helped round up all the Loyalists, things have been pretty peaceful at home so I can't imagine what could have derailed his trip over here. I hope everything is okay.

"Good luck with that!" I laugh, shaking my worried thoughts from my mind and imagining dueling this girl in an Agni Kai instead. Now that would be _fun_. I would, of course, be sure to go easy on her. I wouldn't want to actually hurt her or anything (no matter how conceited she is).

"What are you laughing about?!" My laughing clearly pissed her off. "I've won more Agni Kais than any other competitor here, even Kento!"

"Wow. I'm sure the Fire Lord would be thoroughly impressed," I reply in a somewhat sarcastic manner.

"We'll see. Maybe he'll even invite me to train in the palace. I hear Fire Lord Ozai used to do that."

_He's not his father!_ I think to myself. And I'm pretty sure he's not going to be impressed by her Agni Kai skills considering what happened to him in an Agni Kai.

"I hear he's young and handsome," Kento says, butting in.

"He's married," I reply, annoyed.

"Whatever, it's all the same."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No," I say, getting more annoyed. "Married and not married are totally not the same!"

"Yes they are," she insists.

"No they are not."

"Yes."

"No." Ugh, I can't believe I'm actually arguing with this girl about my _husband!_ Zuko would seriously get a good laugh out of this (and he might even invite her to train in the palace just to watch us bicker).

"What do _you_ care so much anyways!" she finally screams.

Her screaming startles me. Wow she's angry. Maybe I should just drop it.

"Hey, Sunny?" Uzo carefully interrupts. "Maybe you can help me practice for the obstacle course tomorrow instead of fueling this fire." She points at JJ and then at me.

"Right. We need to work on the obstacle course thing."

She drags me away from JJ and Kento, my _favorite_ people, to the practice obstacle course.

"Okay, how do we start?" she asks.

"Well, definitely not here." I point at the obstacle course and shake my head. She looks confused. "You can't practice for an unpredictable obstacle course by trying to learn a practice course. It's not going to help."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Close your eyes."

"Huh?" I blindfold her and then carefully bend a flame at her. "Hey! What are you doing?!" she cries out, alarmed.

"Trust your senses, Uzo. I'm sure you can feel the fire coming at you. Deflect it."

We continue this blindfolded game for a while until she begins to get comfortable deflecting my flames as they come. Then, I stop. I walk over to her and take the blindfold off.

"Hey, that was fun!" she says, squinting as her eyes adjust to the light.

"See? It's pointless to try to predict the unpredictable. That just distracts from your ability to react when things happen. Now let's try the obstacle course."

"You first," she insists.

"Okay." I go into the obstacle course and it is, as expected, designed in a static manner. Sigh, how is practicing in this obstacle course going to help people prepare for an obstacle course that is completely different?! One or two times through this thing and the trainee would be able to memorize where everything is! And I'm guessing Uzo has been through this obstacle course more than once or twice. I take my time in the course and change up the positions of some of the flame throwers and targets. "All done. Your turn."

She enters the obstacle course and I listen as she struggles through the first section. After that, she seems to do just fine.

"You messed with the obstacle course didn't you?!" she asks when she comes out, her uniform a bit singed.

"_Maybe_."

She smiles and then thanks me. I have a feeling she's going to be just fine tomorrow. We grab a quick bite at the canteen and then head off to our room for some much needed rest before Phase 2 tomorrow.

I wonder if Zuko is ever going to show up?

**Zuko**

I land in Darvaza and am greeted by the Chairman of the competition.

"We are excited to have you here, sir," he says, bowing with respect. "Please, let us know if there's anything you need. As requested, your friends were given access to the Fire Lord's box and their accommodations have been taken care of. They are staying in a private house down by the Pit of Fire."

"Thank you," I reply.

He introduces me to this year's judges and then walks me to my room. I enter the room they have provided and look around for Sunny.

"Where is the Fire Lady?"

"The Fire Lady?" He looks confused. "My apologies but I didn't realize the Fire Lady was attending. Perhaps she has not arrived yet?"

"She should have arrived a few days ago."

He looks alarmed. "We can send out a search party." Quickly, he turns to call his men to go look for Sunny but I stop him.

"There's no need." I'm pretty sure she's not lost or taken or something. This isn't the kind of event where people get kidnapped and tortured so I'm sure she's around here somewhere. If anything, she's probably down by the Pit of Fire with the gAang.

I thank the Chairman and then go back into the room. I place the stuffed Appa on the desk, take a shower, and then get into bed.

I think about going down to the house to spend some time with the gAang but then decide against it. I know if I go down there and hang out with them, I won't be able to keep Fung's passing to myself for very long. And, although I know I will eventually have to tell them about it, I sort of want to let them enjoy the competition first.

I close my eyes and try to get some sleep but all I can think about is Fung. I can't believe he's not around anymore. I imagine him in the tavern playing Pai Sho and then in his flower shop. Okay, I know he does more than play Pai Sho and sell flowers but that's pretty much all I've ever seen him do so it's hard to imagine him doing other things.

After a while, I sit up in the bed and look around the room for nothing in particular.

Sigh, where is Sunny? It would be really nice if I could just talk to her right now. And hug her. And kiss her. And... well, you know, everything else married people do.


	41. Part 4: Ch 4: My Girl

**Zuko**

"Hey, look who finally decided to show up!" Toph says, feeling me enter the box.

"Zuko!" Aang runs up to me and grabs my shoulders with excitement. I look at him, confused. Why is he _so_ exited? I mean, I know he likes the Firebending Nationals but he is a little too excited (even for Aang). Plus, I wish he would let go of me. "You almost missed it. Your girl is putting on quite the show!" He points at the stage where I see a massive firewall.

I break myself out of his grip and walk toward the window to get a closer look. That's an impressive firewall but, "What are you talking about?"

"Your girl!" he continues, pointing at the stage. "She's good, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. That's a pretty impressive firewall. But-"

"I know! She's amazing. You missed it yesterday. She was really kicking butt out there," he cuts me off in an excited rant. "You should have seen it! It was like whoosh and swoosh and..." I tone out as he continues to demonstrate random firebending forms, making sound effects for each form. "Your girl is really something."

"My girl? What are you-," I start but am shocked when I see the beautiful girl behind the firewall. "Is that Sunny?!"

"Well, yeah," Katara says plainly. "That's what Aang has been trying to tell you since you stepped into the room."

"What is Sunny doing _in_ the competition?" I ask. I bet Aang has something to do with this. "I'm pretty sure she came here to observe the competition, not to participate in it."

"They didn't have any more training badges or whatever they call them so we signed her up to participate instead," Suki explains.

"Yeah. And she's kicking butt out there!" Aang is so excited he is practically glowing.

Speaking of glowing, he's wearing the strangest shirt I've ever seen. It's a plain white shirt with Sunny's beautiful face on it surrounded by a cartoonish looking sun. In fact, I look around the room at each one of my friends and they are all wearing the same shirt.

"Where did you get those shirts?" And what's going on here? Am I dreaming or something? Though, I sort of want one too (mostly so that I can wear it to embarrass Sunny with more than anything).

"Sokka printed them," Aang replies.

I look over at Sokka.

"What?! I saw a business opportunity and I acted on it." He crosses his arms and looks away.

"Don't worry, we saved you one." Katara hands me a shirt.

I put the shirt on over my typical Fire Lord outfit and sit down to watch the show. It looks like she scored a perfect score from all five of the judges for her firewall, 10s all around, which I guess makes sense since her Dad _is_ the master of firewalls.

And if I knew Sunny was participating, I would have invited father-in-law to come watch as well. I'm sure he would have enjoyed watching her compete. Though, considering Fung, I guess it's better that I didn't. It's probably best to just let him and the rest of the White Lotus mourn.

I think about the Order of the White Lotus and wonder if, when I die, my friends will mourn me as Fung's friends are mourning him? I look around the room at my friends enjoying their youth. Suki, Toph, and Katara are happily chatting away (probably about some girl stuff) while Aang and Sokka are totally engrossed in the show.

We are all young now but, one day, we too will get old and pass away. The thought of losing my friends makes me depressed.

"Why the long face?" Sokka says as he hands me a beer from the mini-fridge.

I take the drink and down it. "Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking, you know."

"Talk to me," he says, sitting down in the seat next to me. "Is it Sunny? Are you two having issues?"

"No. Sokka, _please_. Sunny and I are fine." I look for her on the field but she's no where to be found. I guess she's in the locker room or something. "How did you guys convince her to participate anyways? She's not really the type."

"Oh, Aang did it." He points at Aang with an innocent look on his face.

I laugh. "I'm not mad or anything. Just wondering. She seems to be having a good time but do you really think it's fair to the other participants for her to be in the competition?"

"Why not? It's the battle of the best, right? And she seems to be the best!" He takes out a yellow foam finger and waves it around.

I smile. Typical Sokka. "Did you make those as well?"

"This?" He looks at the foam finger with disapproval. "No. I got this at the concession stand. You want one?"

"No."

_And next up, we have Free Form Bending._ The announcer says with enthusiasm. _First up, Sunny!_

The crowd cheers. It seems more people than she would like are wearing her shirt.

_~I've got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day~ _A random song starts playing on the loud speaker as she steps on to the stage.

"What's with the song?" I ask.

"Oh, her agent picked it out. You like it? Fitting right?"

"Her _agent_? Who is her agent?"

"You're looking at him!" Sokka smiles proudly.

"Um... since when did my wife have an agent? And a song? And a shirt?" I ask, getting angry. "She's not some sort of commodity!"

"Zuko," he replies in an overly serious tone. "I'm just giving the people what they want."

~_I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way? My girl, talking about my girl!~ _The song continues.

I guess it _is_ pretty fitting I suppose. Ugh, whatever.

I turn my attention to the stage and smile, admiring her as she starts her performance. It begins with an orange firewall nearly 50 meters in height. The wall expands and surrounds her, creating a circular barrier between her and the crowd. Then the wall turns blue and begins to move like waves before it 'melts' to the ground. It covers the stage like water, giving the illusion of a calm peaceful lake. Ripples disturb her fire lake as green fire blocks, as perfectly square as the stone tablets of an earthbender, shoot up from it to the sun. They shoot as high as the eye can see until they disappear into the sun's rays as if returning to their master.

Afterwards, the lake lifts from the floor and turns almost white, creating what appears to be clouds as gentle colorful fire 'rains' from the sky. The fire touches but does not burn the audience, like a warm breeze on a summer day.

_That's my Sunshine_, I think to myself.

The crowd goes wild and the fire, that had just seconds before filled the arena, is pulled into a large colorful fireball that she holds above her head. Extremely well controlled lighting shoots from the fireball to the edges of the stage as it begins to shrink, but brighten, in her hands. Then, it goes out.

She bows to the judges as the crowd jumps to their feet in applause.

I have to say, I'm thoroughly impressed though I'm still kind of shocked that she agreed to participate in something so commercialized.

"That's my girl!" Sokka says, standing up to clap for Sunny.

"Actually, that's _my_ girl," I reply playfully. "I'm just glad she never bends blazing balls of lighting fire at my head when we duel."

He laughs. "Hm... that may make an interesting-"

"Sokka, no." I interrupt before he can continue formulating whatever weird idea he's conjuring up.

He looks at me, disappointed.

"No," I repeat firmly.

"Fine."

We watch as the rest of the participants give their performances. Then, we break for lunch before returning to watch the participants compete in target shooting and the obstacle course, neither of which are particularly entertaining.

I daydream about Sunny as the rest of the day passes. After the competitors are finished with the challenges, we wait for what feels like forever for the announcers to announce the Final Four. Sunny, of course, makes the cut.

Afterwards, I have dinner with the gAang at their house by the Pit of Fire before sneaking into the participant's dorms to see Sunny. I can't wait to surprise her.

* * *

**Hello,**

**Yes, that's 'My Girl' by the Temptations. Thought it would be fitting. :)**

**FYI, I'm going to be traveling for the next few weekends but I do plan to continue working on Part 4 and will try to update ~weekly.**

**As always, thanks for reading!**

**Questions, comments, suggestions? Feel free to PM me.**


	42. Part 4: Ch 5: Normal

**Zuko**

I stop by my room to take a shower, change into some comfortable clothing, and pick up the stuffed Appa I bought in Ba Sing Se before heading over to surprise Sunny. I make my way down to the dorms and follow the signs to the bulletin board where room assignments are posted. Good thing everything is so well labeled around here.

"Stop right there!" a girl screams as I scan the list of names. I turn to look at her. She has long wavy black hair, large round eyes, and an angry look on her face. Why so angry?

"What is it?" I ask, confused. "Is something wrong?"

She looks at my Sunny shirt with disgust. "Oh, another crazy Sunny fan!" Clearly, she is not a fan herself.

I smile. "I suppose I am."

"Well, you can't be here."

"What do you mean I can't be here?" I ask.

"Um, didn't you see the sign that said 'authorized personnel only?!'''

"Oh right." I laugh. "And who's to say that I'm not 'authorized personnel?'"

"Ha-ha very funny," she says sarcastically. "Look, I don't know who you think you are but this is a private dorm, not some sort of public park where you can come waltzing in anytime you'd like!" Blah, blah blah. Her eyes narrow in on me as she continues ranting about my trespassing. Wow, this girl has an attitude fiery enough to slay a komodo dragon. I wait, silently, for her to finish. "I don't know what kind of psychological game you are trying to play with me but it's not going to work. I'm not going to let you in, no matter how charming and good looking you are!"

"Charming and good looking huh?" Should I just tell her now or should I let her embarrass herself some more?

She blushes.

Hilarious.

"What's your name?" I ask out of curiosity. I like her and think that, if she'd agree to it, she'd make a pretty good palace guard.

"Ugh," she replies as if I should know her name or something. I think about it for a while. She's probably one of the contestants. I look over at the room assignments to see if any of the names fit.

"Oh right, JJ!" I say after some time. "I knew you looked familiar."

"Geez, thanks."

"Anyways, I just need to get this stuffed Appa to Sunny." I take the stuffed Appa out from under my arm and hold it out for her to see. "It should only take a few minutes. Then, I'll leave. I promise."

Her eyes soften at the sight of the stuffed Appa. Wow, this thing is like magic. I guess the vendor was right, girls love stuffed Appas (_Author's Note: I love my stuffed Appa~!)_.

"Fine," she says, snatching the Appa from my hand. "I'll make sure she gets it." She walks past me and starts down the hallway but then stops and turns to ask, "And who should I say that it is from?"

I smile. "Fire Lord Zuko."

The look of shock and fear on her face is priceless. I know I probably should have told her sooner but I sort of enjoyed watching her get angry. Plus, I knew that the longer I waited to tell her, the more satisfying this moment would be.

"Fire Lord Zuko... I... I'm sorry... sir, I didn't..." she stammers. Her eyes widen as she stares at me in shock. "You.. oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, JJ. You didn't know it was me and you were just doing your job," I reply. "And, I have to say, you make a pretty good night guard."

She continues to stare at me, speechless.

I smile and take the Appa from her hand. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to personally give this to Sunny."

"Of course, sir." She points down the hall in the direction she was going. "Her room is the last one on the left."

"Thank you."

"I'm really sorr-"

"There's no need to apologize," I say, cutting her off before she can go on about how sorry she is. "I should have told you sooner."

I make my way to Sunny's room and knock on the door. Her roommate answers, cracking the door open just enough to poke her head out to talk to me.

"Yes?"

"Hi, is Sunny around?"

"How did you make it past the guard?" she asks, peering over my shoulder and down the hall to JJ who is still standing where I left her.

"Oh, I convinced her to let me through."

"You did?!" she looks surprised. "That's impressive. But, now, you'll have to convince me." Geez, these people take their jobs really seriously. Though, I don't know what this girl's job is. The room guard perhaps (if there is such a thing)?

This time, I decide to just tell her the truth, "She's my wife."

"Oh." She opens the door to let me in and then goes back inside.

I follow her, closing the door behind me. The room is a typical dorm style room with two beds, two desks, two nightstands, a mini-fridge, and a bathroom.

"She's in the shower," her roommate says as she sits down on her bed, resting her back up against the headboard. I sit down on the opposite bed and watch as she picks up a book and starts flipping through the pages.

"Okay. Thanks." I feel like I should talk to her or something but I'm not sure what to say. "So, you in the competition too?" I ask after some time.

She looks up from the book she's pretending to read. "Yup. Final four. You haven't been watching, huh?"

"Oh, I just got in last night. Watched some of the challenges today."

"I see you did some shopping too," she says, pointing at my shirt. She smiles and then adds, "Cute."

"Oh, right. This. Her agent gave it to me."

"Her agent?"

"Yeah, apparently she has an agent. I don't know."

"She doesn't seem like the type," the girl says.

"She's not."

We are silent for a while. She continues for a few seconds to pretend to read the book in her hand but then gives up and puts it down on her nightstand. "So..." she looks over at me as if trying to figure out what to say next. Her eyes light up when she sees the stuffed Appa in my hand. "Is that a stuffed Appa!?"

"Oh this?" I hold the Appa up for her to see. "Yeah. I got it in Ba Sing Se."

"No way! It's so cute." She gets up and walks over to me to take a closer look.

"Geez, I guess that vendor was right," I think out loud.

"Right about what? Can I hug him?"

"Sure." I hand the Appa to her. She leans on the nightstand next to Sunny's bed as she inspects Appa's six feet. "Girls love stuffed Appas," I add, answering her other question.

Maybe Sokka should get out of the Sunny business and go into the Appa business instead. I smile, thinking about my hilarious friend.

"Zee?!" Sunny says, stepping out of the bathroom. Instantly, my world lights up as I look up at her in her cute robe and slippers. I just love the way her robe hugs her curves as if beckoning me to untie it. She's so beautiful that I want to get up and kiss her. But I refrain because I'm not sure if that's appropriate to do in front of her roommate.

"Hi Sunshine." I smile, keeping the rest of my thoughts to myself.

She walks over to the bed and kisses me.

**Sunny**

I melt as he kisses me back. I haven't seen him in five days and I want, more than anything, to continue to kiss and to make love with him. But I know I can't do that here in front of Uzo so I pull myself from his lips and sit down next to him instead.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. "Not that I don't want you here or something. I just didn't expect you to randomly show up in the middle of the night."

He smiles. I love his smile so much that I want to kiss him again but I refrain.

"Oh, I got you a present and didn't want to wait until we get home to give it to you. Plus, it gives me an excuse to come see you." He holds out his hand toward Uzo. Reluctantly, she puts a stuffed Appa in his hand and he gives it to me. "It's kind of used," he jokes, referring to Uzo's hugging it.

I laugh. "Thanks, love. He's really cute."

"Yeah, the stuffed dragon vendor was selling Appas this year."

"The stuffed dragon vendor?"

"Yeah, from the Dragon Festival." I think back about the Dragon Festival in Ba Sing Se. I can't believe he went without me! Though, now that Ran and Shaw pretty much live at home with us, the festival doesn't seem nearly as exciting as it did back then. But still, there's just something magical about the festival.

"The Dragon Festival!? I love the Dragon Festival."

"I know."

"But who sells stuffed Appas at a Dragon Festival?"

He laughs. "That's exactly what I thought! But, anyways, that's not the point. Our vendor friend promised that this stuffed Appa could help me get a girlfriend."

"Oh really?" I say playfully. "Did it work?"

"I don't know." He smiles and then adds, "You want to be my girlfriend?"

I laugh. "Nope. Been there, done that."

"Darn."

I smile and then kiss him. We kiss for a while but, suddenly remembering where I am, I look over at Uzo.

"Oh sorry, I forgot you were there." I hope we are not making her uncomfortable.

She smiles. "You two are cute."

I blush.

"So, I'm guessing you've introduced yourselves?" I ask to change the subject.

They shake their heads.

Typical. I guess Zuko doesn't usually need to introduce himself. "Zee, this is my roommate Uzo," I do the honor. "Uzo, this is my husband Zee."

"Uzo, cool name," Zee says.

"Thanks."

We talk for the next few hours about the competition, Uzo and her life, how Zee and I met at his Uncle's tea shop, how long we've been together, how long we've been married, how many children we want, etc. We talk about everything except for what we do for a living. It's not that I don't want Uzo to know but it's sort of nice to just be _normal_ for once.

Apparently, Uzo is a student at Capital City University where she is studying History. She wants to join the military but she's not sure which branch yet. Again, I think back on my days in the Earth Kingdom Army. That was probably the most 'normal' my life ever was. Though, considering I was a firebender hidden in a city that was in denial about a world war that I was clearly aware of and was 'adopted' by the leader of the Council of Five, I can't say that I was particularly 'normal' back then either.

I look over at Zuko and wonder if he ever feels the same way. Probably. I mean, despite how messed up my life was, his was _much_ worse. Though, if being weird and messed up comes with being with Zee, I suppose it's not _that _bad to not be normal.

But, sometimes, I wonder.

After a while, Zee gets up to leave.

"I should probably head back to the hotel," he says reluctantly, kissing me goodbye.

"Okay," I reply, upset that he has to leave. I look into his eyes. Sigh, I wish he could stay. "I'll miss you," I say as I kiss him back.

"I'll miss you too, love." He takes my hand and holds it in his. Then he looks down at our hands and smiles.

"What?" I ask. Why is he randomly holding my hand and smiling?

"Nothing. I just miss holding your hand."

"Okay. Weird-o," I say playfully though it's kind of cute.

He smiles and then kisses my hand as we linger. I wish he would stay but I know that would probably be really weird for Uzo.

"Why don't you just stay?" Uzo suggests, reading my mind. "I don't mind. I'm used to my roommate's boyfriends or whatever staying over. My only rule is that you don't... you know... when I'm in the room."

"Uzo!" I feel the blood rush to my face as I imagine Zee and I making love.

"What? It's only natural."

Zee laughs and then kisses me on the forehead. "You're so cute," he whispers before turning toward Uzo. "I'll try to refrain myself," he jokes.

"Don't try. Just do," she replies. "Or you're out."

We laugh.

"Oh Uzo, don't worry. I won't let it happen, promise."

She rolls her eyes and gets into bed. "Goodnight."

"Goonight."

As usual, Zee holds me tightly in his arms as we get into the tiny bed to sleep. I press up against his chest and smile.

It's so nice to be _home_.


End file.
